


When The Flood Water Comes

by regionals



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bilingual Character(s), Biracial Character, Broken Families, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, Underage Drinking, ill add a summary later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-03-02 14:16:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 27,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13319904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/regionals/pseuds/regionals
Summary: i listened to wonderful wonderful by the killers & twin sized mattress by everyone knows who the fuck wrote twin sized mattress is it even necessary to say the front bottoms lmao while writing this and i hope that the vibe of those two songs rubs off onto this fic. like. idk. i want it to feel nostalgic and like ur heart is racing and ur happy and excited and scared !!! i am ambitious!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i listened to wonderful wonderful by the killers & twin sized mattress by everyone knows who the fuck wrote twin sized mattress is it even necessary to say the front bottoms lmao while writing this and i hope that the vibe of those two songs rubs off onto this fic. like. idk. i want it to feel nostalgic and like ur heart is racing and ur happy and excited and scared !!! i am ambitious!

_**Hi! If you haven't read any of my fics before, just know that I write in second person point of view, BUT, that does NOT mean this is a reader insert! Second person can be done properly! Please allow me to be the one to show you that! :^)** _

\---

**Ling**

\---

What you have with Edward is a typical high school romance. It starts on a hot, _humid_ day in the middle of Georgia, right at the back of the football field of your high school. It's the first day of soccer practice, and you managed to make varsity this year, so you're currently _losing your mind_ because you're pretty amped to be here.

The first time you see Edward, or, well, the first time you make eye contact with him, at least, he's standing next to Coach (everyone just calls him Coach) with a soccer ball between his arm and his hip, and the look he gives you is, _"You're lucky to be here. Don't blow it, asshole."_

Of course, he gives everyone else that look, but that doesn't mean that he _doesn't_ make an impression. You... also get stuck with him as a partner, kicking a ball back and forth as best as you can, and you're holding your own. You're not kicking his ass or anything, since he's known for having been doing this shit for years--longer than you have--but you at least don't suck _complete_ ass.

The first thing he says to you is, "You're not half bad, Yao," and he gives you a _high five._

Like an idiot, and totally out of character, you say, "Uh, thank you, sir," and he laughs and just... walks off, back towards the school, so he can presumably take a shower and get the fuck home. The only thought in your head as you watch his stupid blonde hair, which was pulled into a quick bun as to not get into his way, bobbing as he walks, is, _"So cool."_

\---

You meet Edward again after your classes get switched around a few days later, during German. There's only one other non-senior in this class, and you have no idea who the hell she is, aside from the fact that she's not a senior, so when your teacher tells you to pick a spot to sit, you awkwardly walk down the side of the room and sit on Edward's right side.

He _slooowly_ slides his book and his stuff to his side of the desk, and even puts his binder under his chair, muttering something about you having, like, at least five other options, rather than him.

While the teacher is calling roll, you just quietly say, or whisper, really, "Shut up. I at least sorta know you."

\---

Somehow, that's your life now. Soccer practice is spent kicking a ball around with Edward, and also listening to him when he barks orders at everyone as if _he's_ the coach, not to mention you trying to be subtle about letting your eyes drift to your left to look at his German worksheets, since you're kind of crashing and burning in that class.

Of course, eventually, he catches you. Edward is not only incredibly athletic--he's also incredibly _smart,_ and wildly observant.

It's maybe a month later, and you're, once again, looking to your left, only to see that he has a piece of notebook paper set out, with, _'Yo, stop looking at my fucking answers and just ask me for help,'_ scribbled onto it in his chicken scratch handwriting. You... honest to god _blush_ like some middle schooler, and you end up writing your own note back to him.

_'I apologize. Would you help me, though? Like, actually?'_

So.

That's... how you end up with Edward tutoring you in German.

\---

Ed corners you during lunch that day. Seniors and juniors share the same lunch period, so it's not hard for him to find you, really. You're sitting in one of the furthest corners with Lan Fan, your favorite cousin, and Mei, your slightly younger half sister, when Edward just kind of traipses up and sits across from you, asking, "When do you want help with your German?" without even sparing a glance towards Lan Fan and Mei, who are both looking at him as if he grew a second head.

"Uh... I don't... I don't actually know...? I was figuring we could just wing it, I guess."

Mei chooses this moment to excuse herself, as does Lan Fan.

"We could go to your house this afternoon if you want. I can drive."

"About that..." You chuckle nervously. "Could we go to your house? Or literally anywhere else?"

"Uh, _no._ I hate my home. Typical broken family shit."

"Mine's not much better either, Edward."

"Really?" He gives you a skeptical look. "Your daddy's the CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation, and you mean to tell me that's not much better than my place, which is an absolute wreck?"

"My family sucks too. Dad's always gone and so is Mom. I hardly ever see them unless it's a holiday or me or Mei have some important event that they need to attend." You shrug and dip your plastic spoon into a pudding cup. Before shoving the bite of pudding into your mouth, you continue. "My parents are... _absent,_ since me and my sister are old enough to take care of ourselves. The last time I saw them was, what... two months ago? It was so they could give us a check to buy school supplies with. Parents of the year, really."

"So, your parents aren't home. That's better than the shitty apartment that me, my dad, and my brother are crammed into, because, like, my dad's always home, acting all sad and depressed, and, really, it _is_ depressing."

"What about your mother?" You tilt your head, furrowing your eyebrows a tiny bit.

Edward raises his own eyebrows, and hesitates, before saying, "She's dead," around a mouthful of his sandwich. He swallows and elaborates more. "She died when me and my brother were kids, and Dad just acts guilty all the time, so I'm, like, virtually never home anyways. I only go if I need to wash clothes or if Al forces me to. The point is, your house is obviously a better choice."

You're a nosy person, and it's really not intentional, but you want to literally shove your actual foot into your mouth when you ask him where he even stays if he's never home.

"One of my friend's houses. I even have my own room there. Her granny and my stupid father are friends, or whatever, which is probably the only reason I get away with it. Also, before you ask, you don't know my friend. She lives in a different district."

\---

Edward's 'after hours,' as you'd like to call it, is... something. The two of you finish up at soccer practice, take a quick shower (not together, obviously), and then he waits for you by the door to the locker room, saying something about how he can drive to your house this evening if you want. (You could also drive, but you try to take the bus when you can.)

Edward's car isn't overly eccentric, if you're honest. You were expecting either something way expensive, or, like, some beat up red pick up, since that's a cliche for some reason, but he just drives a silver 2004 Chevy Impala.

Before even starting his car, though, he hands you a ponytail holder, and tells you to hold it while he bunches all of his hair up, high on the back of his head, bangs included. He flicks his fingers, and you place the ponytail holder in his hand, and you watch, almost in _awe,_ as he ties his hair into a bun.

You are hit with the realization that you are undeniably attracted to Edward, even if you just think he's, like, kinda cute.

"Hate having long hair sometimes. Looks cool as fuck, but it's a pain in the ass to take care of, and it gets everywhere. I'm sure you'd understand." He quirks an eyebrow and nods towards you.

"Oh, yes, I understand fully." Edward seems to be a little more nitpicky about his hair than you are about yours. You're fine with a low hanging ponytail, but since the beginning of the school year, you've seen him do _tons_ of different things with his hair. "My father keeps trying to make me cut it all off, but he's never home, so... I never do." You shrug mischievously.

"His fault, I guess." Ed shrugs as well, smirking. "Anyways, where to?" And _now_ he starts his car, before handing you his phone, and telling you to put your address in.

\---

"Uh. Holy shit." Edward... looks more than shocked as he stares at your house. "I mean, I know your family's loaded and all, but, uh... Holy shit."

You scoff quietly and roll your eyes. "It's just a house, albeit an unnecessary one. C'mon."

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Edward**

\---

"I need to eat before I pass out." You can't even tell whether or not Ling's joking. He's leading the way to a kitchen, a _nice_ kitchen, and as he opens his fridge, he asks, "Do you want anything?"

"What... do you have...?" God, you're Edward Elric! Elrics aren't _awkward!_

He reaches into his fridge, and picks up a tupperware container, and says _something_ that's not English. "Leftovers from last night, courtesy of yours truly."

"English, man. What're the leftovers?" You sit at one of the bar stools next to the island in the kitchen, and watch him.

"Noodles and dumplings, basically." He shrugs, and sets the dish down on the counter. "There's also... rice, there's _always_ rice in this household, um..." He pushes a few things around, and, okay, wow, he has a nice ass. You're not trying to be weird, but he's, like, _bent over_ and pretty much in his fridge. It'd be impossible for you to miss it. "Uh..." He says something else in whatever language he was speaking, probably, like, Chinese, if you had to guess. "I don't... I forgot what it'd translate to if you were to go to a restaurant, but it's just, like... stuffed peppers." He sets a few more containers on the counter, and opens them all, examining them. "Does anything look appetizing to you?"

You sit up as far as you can, and peer into the dishes. "They all look pretty delicious, if I'm honest."

He smiles a little bit and gives you a singular thumb up before reaching into the cabinets behind him for a few plates.

"If your parents are never home, how do you have all these leftovers?"

"Ma taught me and Mei how to cook a few years ago, so we just... Cook our own meals. Nothing too impressive, I suppose. I do most of the cooking, since I'm better at it."

"Um. Yeah. That's kind of impressive, man." You know you're giving him a bewildered look. "I can barely make myself toast without fucking it up. Like, I've set the fire alarm off the last two times I've made toast. This food looks like something I'd see in a Chinese restaurant, and I mean that as a compliment."

"I _am_ Chinese, so it's only fair. Also, fork or chopsticks?"

"... I'm feeling adventurous. Give me chopsticks." You hold your hand out while he's opening a drawer with a smirk on his face. He hands you a pair that look like lightsabers and you cackle a bit. "Oh, man, Winry would kill for these. She's a total nerd."

"Is she your friend you were talking about?" He tilts his head a tiny bit. He tilts his head when he asks questions. You've noticed that.

"Yeah. She's my best friend, and also pretty cool, if I'm honest."

Ling nods, and starts picking things out of the containers and putting them onto his own plate with his own pair of chopsticks. You follow suit. You end up with three dumplings, two of the peppers, a small portion of noodles, and you end up splitting the rest of the rice with him, since there wasn't too much to begin with. He asks if you care if it's cold, and you roll your eyes.

_"Please._ I have such low standards that I shock myself sometimes." You wave your hand, and you wait until he's put the leftovers away again, and until he's standing by his own plate to begin eating.

And.

Holy shit.

Ling Yao is fucking _great_ at cooking.

\---

Ling Yao sucks at German, though.

You've been going at this for an _hour,_ and you've given up. You're kind of a freak with languages, what with being fluent in... plenty of languages, and you've decided that you're going to take on the task of teaching him German your damn self. "Fucking, _god,_ you're awful. Introduce yourself to me. In German."

_"Mein name ist Ling."_

"No. Stop." He's been using Google Translate. That's his entire fucking issue. "Stop using Google Translate. I know that's exactly where you got that from. Falman's an idiot, but he's not enough of an idiot to teach us Google Translate."

"How far off am I, then?"

_"Ich bin Edward. Wie heißt du?_ Or, if we're being formal, _wie heißt Sie?"_

"I'd say... _Ich bin Ling?"_

"That works. So does _ich heiße Ling."_

He repeats what you said, and you write it down for him to copy into his own notes. "You're much better at teaching German than Falman is."

\---

You... end up spending the night at Ling's house. You've gotten through the first section of the first chapter in the German textbook, and by then, his sister is home and she's telling him to come out of his room, because she wants dinner.

Ling asks if the two of you are allowed to take a break, and, honestly, if it means eating more of his food, then, _yeah,_ a break is _encouraged._

You eat dinner with him and his sister, and the two of you work on German for another hour, and you help him do the actual assignment, before he's calling it quits. "My brain feels like an _egg._ I'm going to die if I do this for another second. God." He looks so frustrated. You sort of feel bad.

"Um. Sorry, I guess. Once I get in the zone with German, it's hard to get out of it." You shrug, and pick at one of your socks.

"Oh, please don't be sorry. I am just... Having trouble. I think in one language, then I have to translate it to English, _then_ I have to translate that to German, and my brain keeps getting caught in, like, logic loops."

"Okay, that's understandable. I'm fluent in enough languages that I totally get the logic loop thing." You close his textbook (you take pictures of what you need out of your own textbooks, since you hate carrying them) and hand it to him so he can do something with it.

"How many? You're so mysterious." He looks impressed as hell.

"Mom's Lebanese and Dad's German so I grew up speaking Arabic and German, plus English, until Mom died, and I taught myself Latin for the fuck of it when I was, like, thirteen, and I mean, Spanish is also a given. From Spanish I went on to learn French. So. Six languages."

"Are you fucking with me?"

"I assure you, I am not fucking with you. If you ever need to go to France, Mexico, or Germany, I'm your guy."

"That's so cool. Jeez. Anyways, you being a linguistics freak aside, would you, perhaps, like to watch something?" Ling is reaching for the remote next to his bed as he asks that.

"Depends on what it is."

"Anything. I'm not too picky."

"Wanna watch, uh... Stranger Things? I hear that it's good." By 'you hear,' you mean that you've been kept up until four in the morning listening to Winry babble on about Nancy Wheeler numerous times.

Ling, honestly, looks really excited. "Seriously? Like, you actually wanna watch it?"

"Sure."

"God, yes! Mei always makes me watch stupid soaps, and thinks that this is, like, some weird nerd thing, and maybe it is, but, man, _finally_ someone else who wants to watch it."

You can't help but to grin a little bit.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also as a general rule of thumb for my fics:
> 
> _italics means someone is speaking in a different language_

 

**Ling**

\---

In the middle of episode three of Stranger Things, Edward asks, "Can I spend the night?"

It's about eleven at this point, and, really, you'd feel bad about making him drive home this late, and your parents aren't due to be home again until, like, the end of October, so you just say, "Of course you can."

He nods, says, "Cool," and then worms his way under your blankets, and wedges his head between two of your pillows and... To put it simply, you've never seen someone conked the fuck out so fast in your life before.

You finish episode three before turning your TV off and being as gentle as you possibly can about getting under the blankets as well on your own side of the bed to sleep.

\---

You wake up around five to the sounds of Mei yelling at someone over the phone in a different room. Ed's still dead asleep, so you just, like, _sigh,_ and slide out of the bed and groggily stumble out of your room and down the hall to see what's wrong with her.

No matter how close in age you are to her, she's still your little sister, and you feel a rush of brotherly protectiveness wash over you once you see the state her bedroom is in. It's not too much of a mess, really, but there's a broken alarm clock, her blankets are basically everywhere, and she is most definitely crying.

 _"What the hell, Mei?"_ You scrub at one of your eyes and smack your lips a bit, since you have a tendency to sleep with your mouth open, and since it's dry as fuck in that crevice of yours. _"Why'd you trash your room?"_

 _"Lan Fan called me about_ Jun _maybe an hour ago and told me that the stupid asshole cheated on me. I_ called _him and that's why I was yelling. I'm so mad!"_ She kicks one of her stuffed animals.

To be frank, you never really liked Jun. Your parents like him, even though they've only met him once. You think it's because his parents are wealthy and they probably want to marry Mei off to some well-to-do dickhead. Anyways. _"How did Lan Fan even find out?"_

You yawn and you shoo her out of the way as you pick her blankets up and haphazardly put them back on her bed. She speaks while she's helping you pick up the pieces of her alarm clock, which doesn't look as broken as you thought it had. _"She saw his Instagram and his Twitter, which I didn't even know he had."_

You nod. _"Would you like me to... take revenge?"_ You're a rich kid. You can get away with basically anything.

 _"God, please do. I'd personally_ kill _him if it wasn't illegal."_ She sniffs and wipes one of her eyes off before a tear can fall.

\---

You wake Edward up at six and you go with him when he drives home to get a change of clothes. You don't go inside, though--you just sit in his car and wait for him. He comes back with who you assume can only be his brother. They look almost identical, except his brother's face is a little less square, and his brother also doesn't look like he's two seconds away from murdering everyone. Edward's kind of grouchy in the mornings, or so you've noticed.

On the somewhat lengthy car ride from Ed's residence to school, you... get an idea. "What do the two of you think about infidelity?"

Ed snorts and makes a comment about your phrasing before he answers. "Anyone who cheats deserves to get their dick chopped off, or... I dunno. Whatever the female equivalent of that is as well."

"What Brother said, except... maybe a tad less violent," is Alphonse's answer. You kinda thought he was asleep, since he was kind of acting like he was, what with his eyes closed and his jacket zipped tight around himself.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well... Would the two of you be willing to help me extract... revenge...?"

"On who?" Ed's at a stop light now, sorta stuck in traffic, so he looks at you fully.

"Mei's ex boyfriend. She woke me up yelling this morning. I'm surprised you didn't hear."

"He sleeps like the dead," Alphonse comments quietly.

"He's right. What'd the dickhead do?"

"Cheated on her with another girl from a different school. I was thinking of egging his house and tagging his car with _'cheater'_ in red spray paint. He drives a Benz, by the way."

"That sounds _great_ and all," Ed starts as he turns his turn signal on, "but I'd rather not get arrested."

"What if I could guarantee you'd get away with it? I've got rich parents and another year until I graduate. I can take the fall if anything sticks."

"Well, _in that case,_ hell yeah. What about you, Al?" Ed looks at his brother through the rearview mirror.

"As long as I don't get in trouble, I don't see the problem in teaching that guy a lesson."

\---

Lan Fan is much more evil than you are. You confide in her during lunch that day, and she flat out says, "Your plan kind of sucks."

And she's not wrong, so you ask her what her idea was.

"Egg his house, tag his car, _and_ TP the stupid trees in his yard."

"So, basically my plan, but with the addition of the trees?"

"Pretty much, yes."

\---

Lan Fan ends up being busy on the night the dirty has to be done, so it ends up being you, Edward, and Alphonse who walk a few neighborhoods over with two grocery bags of eggs, two bags of toilet paper, and a can of red spray paint at three in the morning.

"It's fucked up to cheat on someone," Ed mutters as he's throwing the first roll of toilet paper up at the tree, and as you throw the first egg. Alphonse is in charge of tagging the car, since his handwriting is probably the best out of the three of you.

Ed's pretty freaking quick about throwing the toilet paper and being sure to get it _everywhere_ in the trees, and you have most of the eggs thrown by the time he's done. You take a picture of the house with your phone to show Mei, and another picture of the car before the three of you are running back.

\---

Mei is grinning evilly once she sees the pictures. You get a hug and dubbed the 'best big brother' ever in exchange for the antics.

(Jun's parents write up a formal letter of apology to Mei, and inform her that Jun is in charge of cleaning up the house, and getting his car repainted himself.)

\---

 _For some reason,_ TPing and egging someone's house served as a bonding experience for you and Edward. It's not the soccer practice and camaraderie, or the afternoons spent practicing German that does it--it's the vandalization.

Edward and Alphonse start sitting with you, Mei, and Lan Fan during lunch, and when Ed fucks off to eat outside, you sometimes join him. He's your _buddy--_ your partner in crime. Literally.

\---

The first time any feeling of _okay fuck I have a crush on Edward_ even remotely hits you, at least that you recognize as being a crush, happens at the end of the last soccer game of the season. Ed's apparently a hugger when he's excited or happy, meaning you have an armful of four feet and eleven inches of Edward Elric after your school's team wins that game.

He's over the fucking moon, smiling and laughing and he's so _excited_ and _wow_ you've never seen someone smile that much, and that's including Mei's face after the whole revenge thing.

"We fuckin' did it, man!" Ed has his hands on your arms and he's shaking you and you're smiling and laughing with him because, yeah, the two of you kind of kicked major ass tonight.

You also meet Ed's father and his friend Winry that night. Ed's dad is... Awkward. He's awkward and gives you weird vibes and you sort of don't like him but you don't voice that opinion. You _do_ like Winry, though. She's funny and she's nice and she's, like, _super_ pretty and she takes the time to congratulate you on the win.

\---

Edward ends up going home with you, mostly since he didn't want to sit through a bunch of awkwardness with his dad, or try to convince Winry to let him go home with her and her grandmother. Your parents are home and all, but they pretty much let you do what you want, and they're in bed by the time you get home anyways, so... it works out.

Ed's standing in front of the mirror in your bedroom brushing his hair since he took a shower, and talking about the game. "God, I love wins like that. It's always so... exhilarating. I always feel more like a person every time we win a game. I dunno. It's stupid, but holy shit." His voice is quiet and softer than usual, since it's late and since it isn't just you, him, and Mei who are here for once. (You actually don't even know if Mei _is_ here. You saw her car and all, but usually she's waiting so she can congratulate you, and tonight she wasn't.)

"It's not stupid. It's how I feel sometimes too." You're on your bed, trying to sort your own hair out. It's doing a _thing_ that you don't like, and you finally give up once Ed tells you to quit fucking with it because _he's_ tired of it too. (He says he's going to help you with it.)

"I just, like, really love soccer," he mumbles as he walks across your bed on his knees to sit behind you while he tries to do something with your hair. (Usually you sleep with it down, but he's over enough to where he's able to complain about it getting in his face whenever he sleeps over, so you've started to put it up.) "It's a good sport, and it's great for, fuckin... getting pent up anger out. Do you know how gratifying it is to just kick a ball and pelt some dumbass in the stomach with it?"

"Very gratifying indeed."

"Yep." Ed's being careful not to get your bangs involved with the rest of your hair, since the last time they were, they stuck up weird the next day and a few people gave you shit for it. You kind of like the feeling of his fingers in your hair. It's... nice, you suppose.

He's more gentle than he acts. You were half expecting him to be pulling your hair (not on purpose) but he's just _not,_ and the few times he does he apologizes for it and squeezes your shoulder and _for some reason_ his shoulder squeezes are stupidly adorable to you.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Edward**

\---

"So, let me get this straight," Winry starts with a pointed look directed at you, and as she taps her fingernails against the table in the Starbucks the two of you are at. "You're going to _homecoming_ with _Ling_ as _friends?"_

"We're both single and we thought it'd be funny," You defend yourself.

"It'd be funny if it weren't for the fact that you've had a crush on him for, like, _two months_ you idiot!" She scoffs and throws a sugar packet at you. "You're so bad at hitting on people, I swear to _god!"_

"Oh, like you're so _nuanced_ your damn self!" You roll your eyes at her. _"Sheska_ has more game than you do. It's a wonder you're even dating her in the first place."

 _"Hey!_ We are doing just fine, and she happens to enjoy my lack of smoothness." Winry _hmphs_ at you, and crosses her arms. "Why do you like him anyways?"

"I don't know. He's my type, _and_ he's nice. I don't know how to come onto him because we're, like... friends, y'know? I don't want to make things awkward in case he's straight or something. Also, Al's dating his sister, or trying to, so it's weird enough as it is."

\---

Ling's parents are on another business trip the night of homecoming, and after realizing that neither of you really felt like dressing up, homecoming ends up just being the two of you sitting in his room, talking and listening to music. His room is, like, pretty fucking huge, and he has more furniture in it than just a bed, meaning you're half sprawled out on the couch in the room, staring at the ceiling, listening to him vent about his parents.

"I know I probably sound like some spoiled brat to you, and I know I should be happy my parents are at least alive and together and all that, but I really wish they'd stay home for more than a week or two at a time. I'm sixteen. I shouldn't have to be cooking my own damn meals and pretty much living on my own yet. It pisses me off."

"You don't really sound like that. I'd be skeptical of you if your parents didn't basically fuck off for months at a time. Shit, I agree with you. I'm in the same boat. My dad hardly ever cooks, and when he does he fucks it up. Al isn't the best at cooking and neither am I. I mean, I'm always either here or at Winry's. I wish that _I_ could feel at home and like I could just _live_ at my own home in the first place."

"The shit with my parents just bugs me a lot. I probably won't see them again until December, since they don't really give two shits about Thanksgiving. I mean, I don't give a shit about it either, because I'm not American, but... Ugh. It's like--I don't care about the holiday, but I still would like to enjoy the novelty of it if they stayed home for more than a few weeks and if we cooked food or something for it."

"Wanna hang out on Thanksgiving, then? I mean, Mei's probably going to come over, or Al's going to be here, so I mean it wouldn't be too weird for _us_ to hang out either. Also, both of my parents are immigrants, so it's not like my dad's going to give a shit, _plus_ my mom's dead. So. Y'know." You are not at all smooth.

"Of course I do. It's either that or I sit at home feeling sorry for myself. Also, we should do something next week. I'm, like, _itching_ to go somewhere that's not suburban Atlanta." Ling rolls onto his back, and groans. "I haven't left Atlanta since the summer pretty much. Soccer excluded."

"I haven't really left Atlanta since I was a kid, so, I mean. I'm down." You yawn quietly. "Where were you wanting to go?"

"I don't know. Was thinking about just buying a few plane tickets and fucking off to a different state for a few days. I did it a few times last year with Mei and Lan Fan."

"Are they gonna come to?"

"Nah. Lan Fan's busy next week, I think, and Mei's... probably going to not want her big brother and her _boyfriend's_ big brother around all the time, I assume. Are you cool with it being just us?"

"Yeah, totally." You are _more_ than fine with it. "I can't really pitch in too much as far as the money part of it goes, by the way, _but,_ I am good travel company."

"It's fine. I'm the one who wants to go, so I think it's right that I pay. Added, it's not like my dad's ever going to spend all that money, so I may as well."

\---

Winry's at your place for once so she can help you pack a backpack. You're kind of awful at packing for trips, whereas she's good at it, so she's picking a few outfits for you to wear and making sure you have your phone charger with you as well.

"Nothing happened on homecoming, yet you're going on a day trip with him to New York the _week_ of Thanksgiving?"

"What's this theme of you criticizing my life choices?" You mutter under your breath as you go through your underwear drawer. "I haven't gone on any actual trips since I was a kid, Win. If Ling wants to take me to New York for a few days, then I'll fuckin' let him. The fact that I want to bone it out with him has, like, virtually nothing to do with it."

"That's false and we both know it."

\---

 **Edward:** Winry.

 **Edward:** What do I do

 **Winry:** About what

 **Edward:** About Ling.

 **Edward:** We are waiting for our flight. He is very cute today. My crush on him has never been more obvious to me. Ugh.

 **Winry:** Ur useless. Just talk to him like you normally do. Idiot.

\---

Ling really _is_ cute today. His hair is in a bun and he's wearing sweats and he looks so _soft_ and god you really want to hug him. You keep thinking about how you hugged him the last night of soccer, and you kind of just... want to do that again. You wonder if he'd let you do it.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Ling**

\---

You and Edward decide to go look at the Statue of Liberty. Actually getting there is a little more convoluted than you would like to admit, but Ed seemed pretty amped about it, since he's never seen it in person before, so, of course, you didn't have it in you to blow him off.

What _really_ shocks you, though, is that he _goes in for a hug._ It's not, like, an embrace, really, but he's a little awkward and shy about how he wraps an arm around your waist, then his other arm, and as he presses his face against your chest. It's adorable and it's also the first time you realize that, okay, sure, the not-so-platonic feelings could possibly be reciprocated. You wrap an arm around his shoulders, while you keep your other hand in your pocket. Your face is burning, and it continues burning for at least an hour after the hug.

He acts as if nothing happened afterward, and it frustrates you a tiny bit.

\---

You've never seen Edward look more impressed or as happy as he does walking down a sidewalk in the Upper West Side, looking at all the tall buildings. "I have _got_ to move here after high school," he states. "It looks so cool here."

You smile at him. Not too widely, but you smile nonetheless. "Not without me. I love New York. It reminds me of the place I lived before we moved here. Added, there's a lot of places to _eat,_ and to _shop._ The fact that I'm a rich kid never becomes more obvious than when I'm here, I swear."

He casts a sly little look towards the shopping bag in your hand, plus the coffee in your other one. "I can tell. The fact that I'm a lower middle class John Doe never becomes more obvious than when _I'm_ here. You privileged fuck." He's joking, and you can tell because he bursts into laughter right after. Seriously, you've never seen this boy more excited than he is now. "Thanks for the coat, by the way."

You... sort of bought him a coat. It's _really_ cold here, and he thought he was going to be able to wear a sweatshirt and be fine, but that was false. For half a minute you considered letting him wear the other coat you brought with you, but, admittedly, he's just a _touch_ too small for it. (By a touch, you mean he's... a lot smaller than you are. You're tall and a little muscular, and he's short and lean and fully capable of kicking your ass if he ever wanted to.)

"No problem. I would prefer if you didn't freeze to death while we're on this field trip."

"A field trip? This is more like a vacation to me. Even if I'm freezing my ass off still."

\---

You love being in hotel rooms. They aren't even _that_ great, but there's something about them that you just... love. You like the smell of them, and you like how it's always a little too cold in them as well. You also like how Edward asks you if you care if he steals the soaps and shampoos from the bathroom, and you tell him to go for it. He jams all of them into the front pouch on his backpack, and joins you on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with you.

"Why are we laying here?"

"The ceiling is... mesmerizing. I dunno."

He snorts and you become hyperaware of the fact that his left hand is barely touching your right hand. It's not on purpose. At first, at least. You feel his fingers, surprisingly soft to the touch, on your palm, almost as if he were afraid you were going to bite him or something. You turn your hand over a bit, palm facing up, and he... takes the bait, pretty much.

His hands are cold, and you know yours are sweaty, but he's courteous enough not to comment on it. You don't think he would've really said anything in the first place, though. He holds your hand, and gently taps his foot to the beat of the one The Front Bottoms song that's quietly playing from your phone. He does speak eventually, to say, "Thanks for bringing me with you, man."

"It's... cool." You're trying to be cool as a cucumber.

"I'm serious, Ling." Ed adjusts his position a bit, but doesn't let go of your hand. "I haven't gone anywhere, for fun, in so long. Every time I travel it's for school or soccer or whatever, and I know we're going home tomorrow morning, but, like... this is probably the most fun I've had in awhile, and that's including egging that fucker's house. I _love_ egging houses. I'm the kind of guy that goes around and eggs houses on Halloween."

"I just... don't like being alone, I guess." You squeeze his hand a little bit, and rub your thumb in a circle on his skin. "I like going with someone whenever I travel. It's more fun that way."

"Well, you should bring me with you the next time you travel."

"I will look into that."

\---

You swear to god that Edward's a miracle worker. On the actual day of Thanksgiving, you realize you're able to hold a casual conversation with him in German, with only a few breaks here and there for you to ask him to translate something for you to repeat, or for him to explain something he said in English.

Alphonse chips in sometimes, and says that he thinks it's cool that you're learning another language, and even says something about how Ed's trying to teach himself Mandarin. You can tell by the look on Edward's face and the way he throws a throw pillow at Alphonse that you weren't supposed to know. You're still excited, though, and you ask him how much he knows.

He says, "I know enough," in English, and, god, his face is so _red!_

"Say something!" You try urging him. "Please say something, oh my god. The only other person besides Mei that I know who speaks it is Lan Fan and she only speaks it with her grandpa so she's no fun." You're whining a bit.

"I'm going to get made fun of, and I'm just a little too delicate for that."

"Bullshit!" You roll your eyes. "You are _not_ too delicate for that. Also, no one's going to make fun of you. I've been half speaking German all morning and you guys didn't make fun of me, and, hell, _you're_ fluent!"

Ed sighs and pushes food around on his plate, glaring at it, face still beet red, before muttering, _"This is a nice meal."_

Mei smiles and you lean over to hug him.

He calls you a tool and tells you to get off of him.

You cackle.

\---

You bring Ed to school on Monday. He'd gone home on Friday, saying something about needing to have dinner with his dad as a formality or something, so you drive to his apartment complex to pick him up early Monday morning. You ask him where Al is, and he says that he's taking the bus, and something else about a dumb fight between the two of them.

"Why'd you fight with him?"

"It was stupid. We're probably going to cop attitudes with each other until lunch today, though." He shrugs, and, jeez, he looks tired. He rifles through the glove box in your car for, surprisingly, a pair of gloves. You're probably the only person who actually keeps a spare pair of gloves in the glove box. "I'm borrowing these. My hands are cold."

"That's fine. Are you alright? You kinda look upset, Ed."

"I'm not alright, but I don't want to talk about it right now, at least not before school, or it's going to be on my mind all day."

"Ah. Y'know... We still have an hour and a half until we _need_ to be at school."

"And?" He quirks an eyebrow. at you.

"I'm just saying, we probably have time to go get breakfast." You don't want to pressure him into talking to you, so... you figure getting breakfast would be good. "You can pick where."

"Shit. Alright. I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday."

"Since lunch? _Yesterday?"_

"Dad fucked off yesterday evening and we didn't have any food, plus, I'm out of gas so I need to walk to a gas station this afternoon and get some. Point is, we couldn't get any food." Ed sounds angry at that.

"I am feeding you. That's awful. Does Al need anything too?"

"I'm sure he'll survive," Ed rolls his eyes. "He's dating your sister. She can feed him."

\---

There's hardly anything open this early, so the two of you end up in a Subway parking lot sharing a sandwich. The meal is mostly spent in silence, aside from Ed's music playing quietly from the speakers. (He always hijacks your aux cord. You don't mind, though, since you like his music taste.) (He listens to a lot of The Killers and My Chemical Romance.)

"I changed my mind. Can I talk about why I was fighting with Al?" He's glaring out of the window, not looking at you in the slightest.

"Of course. Talk away."

"Mom died when me and Al were five and four, right? Dad just kind of _left_ before that and didn't come back until we were nine or ten or so. Me and Al spent, what, five years in foster care, right? The foster care system here _sucks ass."_

You nod. You've... heard some unsatisfactory things about it. You don't know first hand, since your parents have always been together.

"One of our foster families was awful. I don't--I don't think she was intentionally awful, or whatever, because sometimes shit happens, but every fucking year Alphonse is like, 'Hey, maybe we should write a Christmas card for Izumi!' Like, _um,_ no, little brother. She fucking abused us and he wants to write her a Christmas card because it _could've been worse,_ and, fuckin'... Ugh. I will _happily_ sit down to write a Christmas card to the other couple that fostered us, but, like... Izumi can get fucked as far as I'm concerned."

You wince. "That... sucks. I can see where he's coming from, but, given all that... You aren't obligated to write her a card. What was the other couple like? Were they nice?"

"Oh, incredibly. We're still in touch with them, but we don't visit very often. This guy and his husband. They have two daughters, and they foster kids. They were going to adopt us, but dad decided to turn back up, so it's fucking whatever I guess." He's glaring at his sandwich. "I liked them. They were good dads."

"I'm sorry about all that." You smile a little sadly, and you offer your hand to him. He looks at it for a few seconds before deflating a bit, looking defeated, and intertwining his fingers with yours.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Edward**

Winry's bored, so you're letting her do your hair for you, since you're the only person she knows who will, one, let her, and two, who has hair long enough for her to _actually_ do anything with. You also take this opportunity to talk about boy stuff. "I told Ling about Izumi."

"Is Alphonse doing the Christmas card thing again?" She asks quietly and gently.

"Every year he does it. He does it and he tries to get me to do it too."

"What'd Ling say?"

"He was cool about it. He didn't act like he knew how I felt, but he was understanding, I guess. I made a little indirect comment about Roy and Maes and he asked about them."

"How are they doing anyways?"

"Maes sent a letter for Thanksgiving. Nina and Elicia are doing great. They look so grown up now. He, uh, included a picture. Roy looks old as balls, but, like, he always does." You roll your eyes. "They aren't really _that_ old, I guess, but anyone older than twenty five is old to me."

"Well, that's good, at least, that they're all doing good. Anyways, what about Ling? Anything important?"

"He was... super sympathetic, but didn't overdo it, I guess. He got me breakfast and we... held hands in his car. It's nothing insane or wild, I guess, but... it was something, y'know?" You pick at one of your cuticles, and you tilt your head so Winry can get to your hair easier. "Also, this is off topic, but fucking Alphonse told him I'm trying to teach myself Mandarin. Ugh. I'm not great at it, but I know a bit, and I said something in Mandarin to him because he was pretty much begging me to, and he, like, hugged me in front of god and everyone and _then_ I called him a tool. Like, how _awful_ can I get?"

"You have a crush on him and you called him a _tool?"_ She has to take a break from your hair, because she's laughing.

"It was a reflex!" You have to defend yourself. "I didn't mean to call him a tool!"

"How'd he react?"

"He started laughing. Like, an ugly laugh. It cracked him the hell up. Kind of like Humpty Dumpty after he fell off the damn wall. I call him names a lot, mostly on accident and _not_ with the intent of offending him, and he takes it in stride, so it's whatever, but, _Jesus._ Could I get any worse?"

\---

Ling picks you up from Winry's house the next morning so he can take you to school. Winry did your hair again this morning, meaning it's actually neat and not haphazardly put up like usual, and Ling apparently takes notice, because he says, "Your hair looks _very_ nice today, Edward," with a stupid grin on his stupid cute face.

"Thanks. Winry's responsible for it. Also thanks for picking me up this early, and this far away from our district."

"It is fine. My parents are home again, so I needed an excuse to leave early anyways." The look he gives you is grave. "I got into a fight with my father this morning over me wearing a t-shirt and jeans to school. I'm blaming you," he wags his finger at you, "because before I met you, I dressed at least a little professionally, but now I want to _die_ if I wear anything more formal than a t-shirt and jeans."

"Your dad's such a tight-ass, I swear." You grimace a bit. "You're, like... sixteen, right? You're old enough to be wearing t-shirts to school."

"That's not how he sees it, man."

"Well, he needs to open his eyes, because I, personally, think you look cute in your sweatshirt and jacket, and those jeans." You are really having a day already. You did _not_ mean to call him cute. Fuck. Ugh! You don't backtrack, though, because you're afraid of making it even more awkward.

Ling manages to not let it get awkward, though. He laughs and calls you out. "Cute? I look _cute?_ I look a mess! I got gross bags under my eyes and my hair is all over the place."

You roll your eyes. "Shut up. Everyone has bags. You aren't special."

Ling sticks his tongue out at you and you really wish he was your boyfriend because you would _so_ kiss him right now.

\---

The next few weeks go by pretty great. Since Al's dating Mei, you have more excuses to go over to the Yao household, which means you spend most evenings in Ling's room with him watching stuff, listening to music, or actually working on his German homework. (He's improving, like, really well, and almost doesn't need you to point him in the right direction anymore. You feel like a proud parent.) (Also, it's not like you don't already spend pretty much every evening there, but you feel less awkward if you have a reason other than, _"We should hang out!")_

The first week of winter break, you actually want to die. You hate breaks, especially ones meant for holidays. Christmastime in general is always _sad._ You and Alphonse are always missing your mom or remembering a few of the awful Christmases you've had over the years, and your father spends the entire time awkwardly going through the motions of things and trying, but failing, to make up for the years he was off doing god knows what.

You also have to duck past him and pretend you don't hear him asking you where you're going when you slip out to go buy Christmas presents for Ling. You don't have a lot of extra money, just what you've saved up from odd jobs you do here and there, but you really want to get him a present.

You meet up with Winry at a mall, since she still needs to get presents for Sheska, and also since she agreed to help you pick things out for Ling that were in your budget.

\---

You buy a medium sized basket at some weird crafts store, and you have plans to fill it with small presents. (Winry does have to stop you from going into a toy store, though, to get a giant Pikachu plush, saying that you are _not_ giving him a basket and a stupid stuffed animal, especially one of a Pokemon as dumb as Pikachu.)

Your presents include: A small and _not_ dumb Mega Gengar plush, a black and blue striped scarf since he complains about his face being cold a lot, a few candy bars and an energy drink because he has a tendency to pester you for food even though he's more than capable of buying something for himself, a small bag of chocolate chip cookies for the same reason as the last gift, a pack of socks just because you know he has _tons_ and since you kinda want to be a dick, body wash that doesn't smell like the actual ass scented Axe body wash that he already uses, and you're sure to include a card with a note that's only _slightly_ gay. _("Merry Christmas, dick. I hope the holidays are treating you well. -Ed ♥")_

You also might or might not hide both a small thing of mistletoe and a mistletoe pin inside of the scarf.

\---

The only free time Ling has between the day you arrange the gift basket for him and the actual day of Christmas is at midnight on the twenty third. He drives to your apartment, and texts you when he's there, and you slip out to go see him. The two of you sit in the back seat of his car to exchange gifts, even if your ability to see in the dim lighting provided by his overhead light is _ass._

"I couldn't afford _too_ much, so I hope you like everything," you mumble as you hand the basket to him. It's wrapped in corny reindeer wrapping paper.

"I'm sure I will love it," he assures you as he's handing you a fucking stack of boxes. They aren't _huge_ boxes, but there's five of them, and you have an armful. You've never really gotten this many Christmas presents from anyone ever, so it's... off putting, to say the least. "Do you want me to open mine first, or...?"

"Um." You have to think. In case the mistletoe thing fails miserably... You should probably open your presents first. "Can I go first?"

He nods pretty enthusiastically, and watches as you stick your fingers under the neat wrapping on the smallest box, picking it up without tearing the paper. The first gift is a giant chocolate Kiss, and you can see a note taped to the bottom of it. Ling watches you intently while you open it.

_Merry Christmas, Edward! :D A giant kiss for a boy who probably NEEDS a giant kiss!_

God. Fuck. That's cute. That's cute and you smile like an idiot.

You set the Kiss behind the backseat as you go in to open your second present. Inside the second box is a pack of ponytail holders, a few thin headbands, probably to keep your hair out of your face whenever you exercise, and some bobby pins. This gift is a given, and, hey, you actually needed more ponytail holders and bobby pins, so you're pretty amped about it.

The third box contains a sweatshirt, and you recognize it as one of Ling's. He explains himself when you open it. "You've tried stealing that one at least, like, five times, so... Take it."

"Don't think I'm not going to wear that every day," You mutter as you put it with the two other gifts. Gift number four is a pair of earbuds. You don't recognize the brand, but given the cord quality and the packaging, you assume they're _expensive._

Gift number five is the biggest gift and... it's a pair of... boots?

"You, um, said something about not having any good boots awhile ago, and I remembered your shoe size from soccer, so..." He shrugs and scratches the back of his head.

You smile as warmly as you can and you say, "Thank you for the gifts, man. I... haven't gotten that many gifts from anyone in awhile. Um. Anyways. You can open yours now."

Ling's messier than you are. He tears the wrapping paper off of his instead of neatly peeling it off like you had with yours. As you expected, he goes for the Mega Gengar first. "This is so cool! Oh my god. I actually love it. What the hell?" He's so excited about the stupid toy and _god_ it's so endearing. This boy is going to be the death of you. He places the Mega Gengar back in its spot and picks up the bodywash next.

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Axe smells like shit. I liked how you smelled better when you were using that brand." You're at least honest with him. "Anyways, there's more. Look."

He goes for the cookies and the candy bars next, and he tries, but fails, to hold up the energy drink at the same time as the others.

"Those are so you don't have to pester me about getting food for you."

He grins a shit-eating little grin, and puts them down.

He picks up the socks next, and looks at the packaging, and instead of being playfully fed up with you, he's _happy._ "Hey! I needed more socks like these. Thank you _very_ much."

He opens the card next, and when he sees the heart you scribbled next to your signature, he looks up at you, his dumb eyebrows raised on his stupid forehead. He's also holding back a smile.

Finally, _finally,_ he grabs the fucking scarf. He grabs it and picks it up so fast and clumsy like the dumb ass he is, and he even jumps a little bit as the mistletoe falls out of it. Your heart beat picks up as _he_ picks up the thing of mistletoe, and holds it up to where he can see it in the light. He frowns at it for a second before realizing what it is, and looks you in the eyes, all shocked and beautiful.

You hold your breath in anticipation.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello i would like to say that i appreciate the comments im getting n the bookmarks (i look at those bc sometimes people leave tags and i like reading them) n the kudos they mean a lot ??? like wow ok
> 
> also my tumblr is creion if anyone is. interested.
> 
> one more also: every time i watch 03/CoS and i see winry and sheska interacting im like yall.. we were robbed....  
> (i cant remember atm if they itneracted in CoS but i think they did ok)

**Ling**

\---

Edward gave you mistletoe on purpose. You know he did. Even if you didn't know, the look on his face would've given him away. His cheeks are turning red and he's staring at you so _intensely._ Internally, you panic, because you really weren't prepared for this. You still lift the mistletoe up higher, though, and you wait for him to do something about it.

And.

He does.

For as loud and as obnoxious and with as aggressive as Ed always is, he's so... gentle. He isn't aggressive about how he kisses you, but he's still there and he's _firm._ You've never actually kissed anyone before this, and you're glad he's your first kiss.

His lips aren't as chapped as you thought they'd be, and you can feel bits of his barely there peach fuzz tickling your chin and alright you end up screwing it up because you fucking _smile._ Ed still kisses the corner of your mouth, and he giggles a little bit as the two of you end up hugging.

You don't kiss him again after that, but you do sort of hold him after he hugs you, not saying anything, until about one, which is when he says he probably should go to bed before he screws his sleep schedule up. (Added, you need to get home, since it's literally illegal for you to be out right now, both curfew and driving wise.) (Ed tries to talk you into coming with him, but you laugh and tell him you don't have a death wish. Your dad would most definitely kill you if he found out you sneaked out.)

\---

You put the mistletoe pin into the scarf Ed gives you, and you're sure that the Mega Gengar plush has a cozy place on your nightstand, next to the side of your bed you usually sleep on.

You're smug the next morning, and Mei corners you, basically, in the kitchen while the two of you are supposed to be cleaning up after breakfast. _"What's got you so giddy?"_

 _"Nooothing."_ That's a blatant lie and both of you know it.

 _"Liar. I know you went out the back gate last night. I saw the tracks in the snow."_ She hands you a dish to put in the dishwasher.

_"I gave Edward his presents last night. I had to sneak out to do it. He gave me presents too."_

_"Oh? What'd he give you?"_ She sounds genuinely interested and not like she's going to wind up making fun of you, so... you tell her.

_"He gave me a plush version of a Pokemon, a scarf, cookies, candy, new body wash since he doesn't like how the one I used smells, socks, and a card. He also... gave me mistletoe. He hid it, though, so when I lifted my scarf out of the basket he put everything in, the mistletoe fell out, and when I held it up to see what the hell it was, I realized that he had trapped me, and had done it on purpose."_

She _aww_ s at you. Mei is also the only person in your family, besides Lan Fan, who knows you're, like, not straight. You know your parents are going to have a fit when they find out, but you don't care about them. They can lose their shit all they want--it won't change anything. _"Did you kiss him?"_

 _"He kissed me, actually. We didn't talk about it afterward. It's not like we're acting like it didn't happen, but it just didn't feel necessary to have an actual sit down conversation about it. Oh, also, he drew a little heart next to his name when he signed my Christmas card."_ You really thought the card was cute, and it genuinely touched you that he put a tiny little heart in it. _"I'm thinking about going to his apartment again on the twenty sixth and taking him somewhere. I don't know if it'd be a date, or what, but... somewhere."_

Mei nods knowingly. She's had plenty of boyfriends since she started high school. She knows the whole routine by now.

\---

When you see Edward on the twenty sixth you notice the shift in his behavior towards you. He's still calling you an idiot and a dumb ass, maybe a dick if he's feeling it, but he's laughing more and smiling at you more and seems more happy and _carefree._ It's a little jarring, but you're so cool with it. He also allows himself to openly stare at you and he doesn't quickly turn away when you catch him. He just keeps staring and _maybe_ he smiles at you too.

The two of you don't really go on a date, but you park your car somewhere, and sit on top of the trunk chatting. He's wearing the coat you bought him in New York and the sweatshirt you gave him underneath it, and you're wearing the scarf he bought for you. You also hold hands with him and you can't help but to give him a few cheek smooches. He always grins like an idiot and tells you to knock it off, but then he goes and kisses your cheek right back anyways.

\---

For once in your goddamn life, your parents are understanding about the fact that you don't want to be at home on New Years, which means you take Mei with you to pick Edward and Alphonse up, since they want to spend New Years with Winry, her grandmother, and Winry's girlfriend. (Ed's talked about her before, but you keep forgetting her name.)

Mei takes one for the team and walks up to Ed's apartment to knock. (It's cold, there's snow on the ground, and both of you are stubborn as shit. She's just, like, slightly less stubborn than you are. Also, you get really icky vibes from Ed's dad, and you didn't want to chance _him_ being the one to answer the door. It's not as if you can bluff and act like you don't understand him were he to speak to you, thanks to _someone_ being awesome at tutoring you in German.)

\---

The four of you arrive at Winry's place around nine, which is a little later than planned, but, hey, the roads suck and she lives half an hour outside of Atlanta in _good_ conditions. You have to wonder how Ed has the patience to drive to and from this place whenever he's not at your house, which hasn't been very often recently, since your parents have been home for the better part of December. (Mom leaves on the fifth and Dad leaves on the eighth, though, thankfully.)

There's... seven people in the house. That's a lot of people, way more people than _you're_ willing to deal with, so you awkwardly hang out in the kitchen at the dining table, drinking from a glass of sparkling cider and playing a game on your phone.

Unsurprisingly, it's Ed who walks in to check on you. He scrunches his face up for a second when you smile at him, before sitting next to you, putting his head on your shoulder, and quietly asking what you're doing. You show him your phone. "Candy Crush. Nothing _too_ impressive."

"They're gonna order pizza. What do you want?" He sits up again, and you kinda wish he hadn't. It was cute that he had his head on your shoulder.

"What kind of pizza place is even open tonight?"

"Surprisingly enough, Pizza Hut is. Answer the question."

"Um. Combo, except without the sausage and with banana peppers. Preferably with stuffed crust and light sauce." You lift yourself up about six inches, enough to get your wallet out of your back pocket. You hand him a twenty dollar bill. "Consider this my... contribution towards dinner."

Ed's kind of a dork, and he clicks his tongue at you a few times, shoots finger guns towards you, and after a quick and kind of nervous seeming peck on the cheek, he's ducking back out of the kitchen, your twenty dollar bill in hand.

\---

Ed comes back about forty minutes later with a box of pizza, and he sits across from you this time, explaining, "We have to split a pizza. Half of it is what you wanted, the other half is what I wanted, which was pretty much the same thing except without peppers at all and _with_ sausage."

You nod, thank him, and you grab a napkin from the napkin holder to place the slice of pizza that you take on.

"Why are you in here anyways?"

"Too many people in there, honestly. Not a lot of places to sit."

"There's two couches and both of our awful siblings are sitting on the floor anyways. There's plenty of room for your big ass to sit comfortably." Ed gives you a look, as if he doesn't believe you.

"I just feel awkward for some reason."

"What reason would that be? You said 'some reason,' so a reason has got to be there."

"I feel like I don't fit in." Shrugging is possibly your favorite thing to do, because, _guess what--_ you shrug.

Ed rolls his eyes at you. "You? Not fitting in? You make your presence pretty damn known, Ling. I'm sure if you went in there, sat down with me, and tried, you'd be fine. Also, if you're worried about Granny and the big queer elephant in the room, then don't be. Winry's a _huuuge_ lesbian, and I've pretty much been out since I was, like, seven, so that isn't even a thing, _really_."

 _"Seven?"_ If you had to pick a word from Edward's colorful vocabulary to describe you right now, it'd be gobsmacked.

"Uh, _hello?_ I had two dads from the ages of seven to almost eleven. Not like I was in a homophobic environment. Though... technically... I would still consider them my parents. I mean, if I was going to invite someone to my high school graduation, I'd invite them before my actual _dad."_

"Well... That's fair, but odd. I mean, you've met my parents." You swallow the bite of pizza in your mouth before mimicking your parents in Mandarin. " _Be a doctor, Ling! Get a wife, Ling!"_

"They want you to be a doctor? Ew." Ed makes a face. "I mean, I'm not one to talk, considering I have scholarships being thrown at me left and right, but, like... I'm at least doing that voluntarily."

"If you're worried about me being a doctor, then don't. I have no desire to be a doctor, or... anything, really. I just figure I'll keep good grades, then pick whatever school I like best. As long as I pick something reasonable, I'm sure I won't have to pay for it. It's not ideal but it's life."

"Well, enough about the emo bullshit. It's New Years, man. We should go sit with everyone else." Ed's sly about reaching across the table to take your right hand in his left. His hands are cold, and, to be fair, his hands are always cold, but he's trying to... be affectionate, you think. Ed's so awkward. He's more awkward than _you_ are, which is saying something. (Sure, you're totally extroverted and all that, but you're still awkward as hell, just like any other sixteen year old would be.)

\---

Most of the talking in the living room is done by Ed, Al, Winry, and Winry's grandmother, or Granny as literally everyone except for you or Mei calls her. You're sitting in the corner of one of the couches with your feet tucked under you, listening to everyone and half paying attention to the TV. The most noise that comes out of you is a laugh when Granny makes a comment about feeling like a Mormon, what with all the teenagers around.

\---

The second kiss you have, ever, which is coincidentally the second kiss you have with Edward, starts at 11:59 PM on December 31st, and ends around 12:01 AM on January 1st.

You went back into the kitchen ten minutes before the clock was to strike midnight to 'get more water,' and by that you most definitely mean you stood in the arch between the kitchen and the living room and caught Ed's eye before jerking your head towards the kitchen, meaning for him to join you.

He's a smart guy--literally--and gets up to join you as soon as he can without being noticed, or questioned, at least. "What do you want?" He looks definitely confused.

You are an awkward sixteen year old, and you will remain one until June eleventh, which is when you'll be an awkward seventeen year old. You shift back and forth on your feet a little awkwardly, looking down at the floor and not at Ed's eyes, before kind of just mumbling, "Wanted to kiss you at midnight, but didn't really wanna do it in front of everyone." You do look up from the floor at him with an awkward grin on your face, and, god, you can feel your cheeks starting to heat up. Ugh.

He stammers for a second. _"Oh._ Um. I--I mean. That could... be arranged. Do you wanna just... hang around until then...?"

"That's a good plan." You nod, and laugh a little bit out of relief. It's not awkward, thank _god_ it's not awkward!

The two of you proceed to... hang out until everyone in the living room starts counting down. It takes a _second_ to find a position to where you can easily kiss Ed. (You're well over six feet tall and he's _maybe_ five feet if he stands up at full posture.) (You make a comment about wishing he wasn't so short, and he pinches your arm and tells you to both fuck off and not to call him short if you want anything to work out. You find the interaction funny and you laugh and he rolls his eyes.) It takes a second and the two of you _awkwardly_ stand in that position for seven seconds until they hit one. Ed stands up an inch or two on his toes to _close the distance,_ and wow, you don't think you're ever going to get tired of kissing him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive gone over this fic the best as i can between writing / posting i apologize if theres any typos/other mistakes aside from the ones in my notes lmao


	8. Chapter 8

**Edward**

\---

It would take a very long time to list things that you don't like. In fact, you could list the things you do like in under ten seconds. (Alphonse, Ling, physics, language and linguistics, soccer, sometimes Winry, and chocolate if you're having a bad day.)

During the first week of the year, though, your least liked thing is your birthday. You've had a lot of shit birthdays, so you think you have a right to dislike the day. You can, you have, and you _will_ go through every single birthday you've had since turning five, and you will list reasons you dislike those birthdays. Hell, _last year_ Dad got piss drunk, and you ended up just driving to Winry's house after getting into it with him. _("I just want_ one night _where you don't drink yourself half to death!")_

Point is, you hate your birthday and you really like being able to just coast by that time of the year, aside from the cards Roy and Maes are always sure to send you since they care and all that bullshit. You are more than angry when you wake up on the fifth to a good morning text from Ling. He sends you good morning texts every day, and has been since around Thanksgiving, but this time he says _happy birthday_ as well, and you know that it's Alphonse to who told him. (And if he told Mei who told Ling, you're still blaming Al.)

_(_ _**Linguistics:** _ _good morning & happy birthday! :3)_

(Yes, Ling's name in your phone is Linguistics. You've had more than a few incidences with auto correct. He's also the kind of guy who uses the weird cat face emoticon, but you deal with it since he's somehow charming about it.)

\---

**Ed:** Hey, dick, you can get your own ride to school. Thanks for telling Ling about my birthday. :)

**Awful Brother:** It's on your Skype and your Facebook. He would've found out anyways.

**Ed:** That doesn't mean you get to go and tell him!!!!!!!!!!

**Awful Brother:** lol ok

**Awful Brother:** I'm blocking your number and taking the bus. I'll talk to you when you quit being a child, which should've been at midnight. xx

\---

You glare at your phone, and turn it all the way off before throwing it into the passenger's seat of your car. As far as your concerned, Alphonse can go fuck himself. Sure, this is a dumb fight, but he's your brother and it's not like he's going to cut off contact with you (for good) over this so you're going to allow yourself to be a little pissed at him.

\---

You, similarly to Ling, have a tendency to get to school an hour, sometimes an hour and a half, early. It gives you a chance to work on stuff before class starts. Sometimes it's homework, other times it's stuff you're studying on your own.

You sit in one of the furthest corners of the library, right next to all those weird cat books that the freshmen like reading, and you are not surprised when Ling plops down across from you and slides something across the table at you. It's wrapped neatly and you assume it's a birthday gift. You're still pissed off, mostly at Alphonse, partly and nothing in particular, so you just slide it a bit to your right and go back to doing homework for AP Calculus. (It's extra credit homework, so, realistically, you could stand to take a break, but you're grumpy.)

You can pretty much hear the frown in the sigh that Ling lets out. "Ed, quit working on your calculus and pay attention to me."

You swear that you're the king of being passive aggressive. You click your pen, and set it down before crossing your fingers together and slowly looking up at him. "What do you want?"

"Why are you being a dick?" He takes whatever the small thing was and actually sets it on your textbook so that you can't ignore it. "Al said you have some vendetta against birthdays. While I totally understand that, I am still the kind of guy who feels obligated to get you at least one gift."

"It's not that I have a vendetta against birthdays, it's that all of my birthdays since I was six have been absolutely garbage, and I gave up trying to have nice birthdays when I turned eleven. I don't want there to be a big deal about it."

"Would you at least open the gift?" You feel like if the two of you weren't at school, he would've reached over to grab your hand or something, but instead, he slouches a bit and rests his chin in the palm of one of his own hands. "I went an entire fifteen minutes out of my way for it, y'know."

You roll your eyes, but get to picking at the tape on the back of it anyways. It's not wrapped in actual wrapping paper--it's wrapped in notebook paper with _'For Ed ♥'_ on the front of it. You place the unfolded piece of notebook paper next to your textbook before actually looking at the thing.

It is... a Visa gift card. "Is it twenty bucks or something?"

"A little higher than that, _and_ I activated it for you so you're free to use it to get whatever you want."

"If it's higher than twenty five I'm not accepting it." You give him a stern glare. Even before the two of you started crossing the line of platonic and not platonic, he liked to spoil you in gifts, and if Christmas says anything, that habit is only going to get worse.

"It is not higher than twenty five dollars," he lies through his stupid perfect teeth. (Ling actually has super nice teeth, and it's _beyond_ you how he does it. He's perfect in every way. It's ridiculous. He manages to make having _teeth_ attractive.)

You throw the gift card back at him. Not hard, but you frisbee it across the table, and it hits him in the chest before landing crookedly in front of him. "Ed, take it. I spent less on this than I would've spent actually getting you presents. Also, I have rich parents, and you're always talking about how you hate corporate America. This is a chance for you to steal two hundred and fifty _whole_ dollars from a rich man who would use that two hundred and fifty dollars to wipe his ass if he had to. For a sixteen year old, I have a ridiculous bank account."

Rich kids are on a whole other plane of existence, you swear to fuck. He's the kind of guy who would log onto a Minecraft server once, buy the highest rank for a hundred bucks, then never get on again. You really want to argue with yourself, but you're right, and you know it. "I guess I'll put it towards a new laptop, then," you mumble as you're pulling your wallet out.

"Just a laptop?" Now he's getting skeptical. You can tell he isn't being serious.

"My current laptop is almost as old as my car, man. Shit's broke as fuck." You shake your head as you're putting the gift card into your wallet. "Dad keeps saying he's going to get me a new one, but now that I'm eighteen, he's probably going to use that as an excuse not to, so it's whatever. I can't wait until I graduate so I can move the fuck out."

"What are you doing after high school?"

"Well, I'm going to get a job, then I'm going to look into moving out as soon as possible. I need to take a year off from academics, because as much as I love learning and all that, it's so tiring."

You end up just closing your text book, because you can tell you aren't getting anymore work done with Ling here. He's pretty chatty. "What schools do you wanna go to?"

"Dartmouth has a pretty good physics program from what I've heard. Dartmouth is basically my dream school, but if that doesn't pan out, USC has a pretty good physics program too. Dartmouth is, like, a _maybe,_ but USC is guaranteed pretty much. What about you? Do you have any schools you wanna go to?"

"My parents would kill me if they heard this, but I really don't want to go to college. I have another year and a half of high school to power through, and I dunno if I'm going to have the energy to go to college."

"I like to think of it as a way to, one, one up my Dad since he's pretty much a deadbeat, and, two, a way to get the _fuck_ out of Georgia. That, and I also just fucking _love_ physics." You could go on for years about physics.

"If you go to California, take me with you. I want as far away from here as possible. If we didn't live in this big metropolitan area, I'd call it small town syndrome."

You snort. "Will do. You'll probably be graduated by the time I actually move out of the state anyways, so, I mean. We could do it, bro."

"Is it a deal?"

"Hell yes."

"Awesome. Now that you're in a better mood," _oh god,_ "can I ask why you have such an issue with birthdays?"

You can feel yourself deflating a bit.

"You don't have to tell me, of course." And now he's backtracking. Ling rarely backtracks.

So. Now you feel obligated to tell him. "I just do. Mom died a few months before I turned six, so that birthday was sad as hell. On top of that, my foster mom at the time didn't quite get why I was so torn up over it and got mad at me for crying like any sane six year old would be doing. I didn't even get any gifts, aside from a hand drawn card from my awful brother." You are most definitely going to explain why all of your birthdays have sucked. "I was in an emergency room when I turned seven because my foster mom broke my arm, and was bouncing around between foster homes for a few months before me and Al ended up with the gay couple I told you about."

Ling winces and gives you a soft, sympathetic look. He's really expressive.

"My eighth birthday wasn't actually _bad,_ but I was upset the entire day because Mom dying was still pretty fresh in my mind, I was angry about my dad, and like any regular eight year old I had some weird PTSD thing so I was, like, hiding the entire day because I was afraid my arm was going to get broken again, basically. To the credit of Maes and Roy, the only fathers I've had that I liked, my ninth and tenth birthdays weren't too awful. I mean, they're well off and I got gifts and all that and I actually felt loved and welcome those birthdays, so that's whatever.

"My eleventh birthday was just terrible. Dad decided to come back and be like, _"Haha, hallo, guten tag, guten tag, sehr erfreut, wie geht es Ihnen? Geht es Ihnen gut? Anyways, charming German bullshit aside, I am going to just take my sons!""_ You even go so far as to mimic his accent. "He was drunk on my birthday that year and I was pissed off enough that I walked for two hours to where Winry lived at the time. That's how mad I was." _**(Translation: Good day, good day, nice to meet you, how are you? Are you well?)**_

"Two hours? God." Ling makes a face. You think he gets that you're just venting and getting shit off your chest right now, and that that's why he's letting you talk.

"When I turned _twelve,_ he was so drunk he even forgot it was my birthday. He gave me twenty bucks and told me to walk to that one gas station that's near our apartment to get Al and I something to eat from those gross warm food things. I just ended up at Winry's again. When I was thirteen I tried running away, and I got yelled at for a few good hours for that. I can still remember the way Budweiser smells on his breath. It's awful, by the way. Fourteen went about the same, except without the running away and _with_ me locking myself in my room. I had my permit when I was fifteen so I just went to Winry's, and, honestly, I've pretty much done that every birthday. Except last year, I got into a fight with my dad about him being _drunk_ all the time, _then_ I went to Winry's _._ Do you know how tiring it is living with an alcoholic? It's so tiring, and it fucking sucks. Anyways, _this year,_ I'm going to buy myself a twenty dollar cupcake from that one place downtown once I'm done with school for the day, I'm going to sit in my car and eat it, then I am marching me and my perky ass to either your house or Winry's. I haven't decided yet."

Ling looks across the library to make sure no one else is there, besides the librarian, who's honestly just sleeping, before reaching across the table and taking one of your hands in his. "Why don't you come over to my house? My mom's not home and won't be until the end of February, I think, and my dad usually isn't done with work until eight or nine anyways, so we can be alone and we can just hang out in my room and watch whatever you want. I can also buy you whatever dinner you want, or maybe even make something myself, and you can have a fun and relaxing birthday, free of family drama. We don't even have to make a big deal out of it."

Ugh. _Swoon!_ You sigh and puff your cheeks out, since you can feel your face heating up already. "Why are you so nice? You're a rich kid. You're supposed to be a dick."

"I'm gay and I have absent parents, man. It's apparently enough angst to make me check myself." He grins a little bit and, alright, _fine,_ your own angst aside, you're fucking giddy.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello  
> i wouldve updated sooner but fuckin
> 
> story time
> 
> on saturday i was just like hella dissociating and when i woke up on sunday i thought it was saturday morning lmfao  
> so like i've been recovering from that because it was fuckin weird and hasnt happened in awhile. like in my head i still feel like its monday but that was yesterday. anyways pro tip: dont have a dissociative disorder it sux
> 
> also, another ed chapter dkfgn its not supposed to specifically be their povs every other part but, like. idk. i tried writing the second half of this part in lings pov and it just didnt feel right so i rewrote it from eds pov so yeet

**Edward**

\---

Ling follows you home that afternoon in his own car, and you're only home long enough to get yourself a change of clothes and to blow Alphonse off when he tries talking you into staying home. (If he wants to spend time with you, he can have Mei come pick him up. You even tell him as much.)

You get yourself settled in Ling's passenger seat, and when you look over to him after buckling your seat belt, he's holding the end of the scarf you gave him up, and giving you a _look._ He's grinning this smarmy little grin, and he wiggles the scarf a bit. You look at it, and roll your eyes when you see the mistletoe pin. "Really?"

"What? There's mistletoe right there, Ed, and by the laws of society, that means you gotta kiss me. I don't make the rules."

You roll your eyes even harder, but you have to start laughing, because he's adorable. He's too tall for you to just lean over and kiss, so you have to sit up and even put one of your legs under your ass so you can actually reach him.

\---

Ling takes you to the bakery you were talking about that morning so you can get one of those expensive cupcakes. He ends up buying one for himself, since they look cool, or something like that. At his house, the two of you sit on the island in his kitchen eating them, and he even takes the time to sing you happy birthday, and to peck you on the cheek. He's so sweet that your teeth are actually rotting.

\---

The rest of the night just... happens, you guess. You help him with his German, since the end of the semester is in, like, a week, and you finish another extra credit assignment for a different class, and after that, you most definitely _cuddle_ with him while watching the second Guardians Of The Galaxy movie on Netflix.

You also find out that Ling is very gay for Chris Pratt. Multiple times throughout the movie, he gasps, and says, "Wow, what a _man,"_ while pointing at him. You can't blame him. Chris Pratt is fucking hot, and you'll be the first to admit it.

\---

The only con of spending the night at Ling's house while one or both of his parents are home is that you always get stuck eating breakfast with them. They're _rich_ and they're nitpicky about table manners. You know how to use a pair of chopsticks and you know that there's apparently a difference between big forks and little forks, but that's the extent of your table manner knowledge.

You also feel wildly under dressed for this occasion. You're wearing jeans and the sweatshirt Ling gave you for Christmas, and your hair is up in what is possibly the most sorry excuse of a bun ever. Ling's wearing his usual garb--a button up and nice jeans, and his hair is neat and orderly, his dad's in a suit that looks more expensive than what your household brings home in a year, and Mei's just looking formal as hell and ready for a job interview to be the president, pretty much.

It's so uncomfortable. On top of that, Ling's dad keeps giving you looks. They aren't obvious, but he looks up at you once in awhile, so unimpressed, and he even asks Ling, _"Why is he always here?"_ unaware of the fact you fully understand him.

Ling looks at you for a moment, and before he can respond, you do. _"I don't like being at home. It's as simple as that."_ You most definitely give his dad a pointed look. You're fluent in seven languages and you're very familiar in the art of blatantly shit talking someone in front of them knowing they can't understand you.

The man just narrows his eyes at you and grunts. The rest of the meal is eaten in silence.

\---

At lunch, the first day of finals week, everyone pretty much has their schedules for the next semester. You've already taken as many AP classes as you can, and as many electives that would look good to any physics department looking at your transcript, meaning you really only have to be at school for the first few hours of the day, and then you're free to go home. (You failed a class your freshman year, so your last semester is going towards fixing that, and also towards finishing AP Calculus, along with German. It's an easy A.)

The only downside of having only, like, three classes, is that you're not sharing _any_ with Ling, and he's pretty bummed out about it. "We don't even have _German_ together? That's so _lame!"_ He's pouting like a kid, and he also keeps rereading your schedule as if it'll suddenly change. Mei, Lan Fan, and Alphonse are all giving him looks that just say, _"Really?"_

"You're a junior, otherwise I'm sure we'd have it together."

He groans so dramatically. "Ugh!"

\---

You wish you didn't have to, but you drop off the face of the earth because you need to _study_ for your finals. The most you see Ling that week is the night before your German final, since you're still tutoring him and since you need to help him study. You wish you weren't a good student, because, literally, all you do is _study._ The most that happens between the two of you is him kissing your forehead before you leave to go home for the night.

Anyways, you ace pretty much all of your finals, and you take that weekend off from socializing so you can _sleep_ and watch movies.

\---

Ling is one clingy motherfucker. You don't mind it, _at all,_ but he texts you at least four times a day to say that he misses you and that you should take more classes so that he can at least see you at lunch, which is a solid concept, except you only need these three credits to graduate, _and_ you also have a job within a week of beginning the second semester, so staying for lunch is just absolutely not possible.

You're always at his house by the time he's making dinner for himself and Mei (sometimes Alphonse whenever he's there to see Mei) anyways, so it's not like he's missing you _too_ much. He does play Separate Ways by Journey whenever you're about to leave his house, or he even texts you a link to the fucking YouTube video for it whenever he knows you're leaving school, though. He's... a dork.

\---

Ling finally gets lunch with you the last day of January. Your guidance counselor insisted you talk to her that Wednesday, so after much hesitation, you called your boss and asked if you could come in a few hours late as long as you made up those hours. He agreed, thankfully, so you find yourself with your ass parked next to Ling at one of the picnic tables in front of the school, sharing a foot long from Subway. He's talking about his classes, and you're nodding along, just as you typically do when he blabs your ear off.

"Why are you here for lunch anyways?" He asks as a way to give you a chance to talk once he's said all he has to say.

"The senior counselor wants to talk to me about something. I'm, like, ninety percent sure I'm up for valedictorian, so it's... probably about that. Fuckin, uh... You know the other blonde guy from our German class last semester? His last name is something dumb like Trigonometry or something."

"Are you... talking about Russell?" You can tell he's trying not to laugh.

"Yeah! Him. He told me he got called in to talk to Hawkeye a few days ago and that he's up for Valedictorian. Him, probably me, and maybe two other people are up for it. It really won't do shit for whatever college applications I decide to fill out in the future, but it'd be something to discuss over cocktails, y'know?"

"I mean, it definitely wouldn't hurt on college applications, and it would be super cool. I hope you get it, honestly."

Ling gives you a dopey look and it takes everything in you not to set your sandwich down and to put your hands on your face to hide.

\---

You are, in fact, a candidate for valedictorian, and you're informed that if your grades stay the way they are, you're probably going to, like, _get it._

\---

Mei and Alphonse fuck off the weekend before Valentine's to go do whatever it is they do whenever they're alone (you don't want to think about it, because, like, _ew)_ and you are not willing to stay home if your brother isn't going to be there, and, like, _it's the weekend before Valentine's,_ so you drive over to Ling's house Saturday morning with the bag you used to put your soccer stuff in filled with clothes and two of your work uniforms, saying, "I'm moving in until Tuesday."

Ling asks why you're staying until _Tuesday_ while he's making breakfast about twenty minutes after you get there. He's stirring together a bunch of... stuff in a small mixing bowl, and you're pretty sure he said something about crepes. "I mean, I love having you, but Tuesday is an... odd day. Sunday? I'd understand, same with Monday, but... Tuesday."

"Dad's not working on Monday and I don't want to be stuck at home with him between school and work." You shrug, and you hand him the salt shaker when he points at it. (You're sitting at the island, and Ling's across from you getting his stir on.) "Also, " You begin as a thought pops into your head, "can I ask _you_ a question that's been on my mind pretty much since I met you?"

"Of course."

"How are you and Mei half siblings if you're only a few months older than her?"

"Well." He cracks another egg into the bowl, and throws the shell into the side of the sink with the garbage disposal before continuing. "The short version is that she was an accident. The long version is that my parents believed my mother couldn't conceive, so they went through a surrogate to have me, and then a few months later, boom, they found out Mom was pregnant with my little sister. Needless to say, I have an odd relationship with my mother."

"I mean, it's probably better than the relationship I have with mine. She's dead."

Ling gives you a look, and scoffs. You're morbid. He should know by now. "Hey, now."

"Oh, c'mon. You're just _asking_ me to do the thing."

"If you sing All Star I can and _will_ kick you out of my house _without_ feeding you breakfast, Edward." Ling gives you a dirty look. It holds no water, of course.

You just grin like the dick you are and start laughing.

\---

Sitting at home all day on a Saturday is boring as fuck. Technically, you're not home, but you're at Ling's house so much that it's lost the charm it initially had, and you are not willing to just sit around here until you have work tomorrow.

"I'm getting dressed in an actual outfit, and you should too," You say as you're digging an outfit out of your bag, and setting a few articles of clothing down on his bed.

"Why? I'm comfortable."

"Of course you are. You're in your pajamas." You roll your eyes at him. "I just wanna go somewhere." You don't specify a where, because you really haven't decided yet, but you get stir crazy pretty easily, and Ling seems to know this, because by the time you're downstairs in your outfit of choice, he's standing by the door dangling his keys from one of his fingers.

Ling says he has a bad sense of fashion, but he's, like... really hot. He's wearing the one pair of jeans he owns that makes his ass look great, plus a sweatshirt with the varsity jacket he got from soccer over it. His hair is pulled up in typical man-bun fashion, and, god, you have to stop in your tracks for a second to mentally collect yourself.

The first thing out of his mouth when he sees you, despite the fact you're in an only slightly tacky outfit, is, "Holy shit. I have a _hot_ boyfriend." (Leather pants since your ass and your legs look _damn_ good in them, the sweatshirt he gave you, and a beanie with your hair in it. You're not exactly the next Gianni Versace.)

So, he called you his boyfriend. _That_ question's answered you guess. You ask for clarification anyways, though. "So, we _are_ boyfriends?" You're biting your cheek to keep from smiling too wide.

"You gave me _mistletoe_ for Christmas, Ed. I'd be offended if we _weren't."_

\---

Ling ends up driving, since his car actually has a working heater, and since he can afford more than a tank of gas a week, you ask him if he wants to drive to Roswell to go dick around and to see Chattahoochee River. You went there once before your mom died, and you remember really liking it, so you figure it'd be fun to see what all had changed in the past fourteen years. (Probably not much. It's a river.)

You hijack his aux cord about five minutes after getting onto I-85. The drive isn't that long, but you don't have anything to talk about, and you also don't want to sit there in silence, so listening to music is preferable.

You're half tempted to make him listen to Danger Days for the millionth time, since that's the only album from My Chemical Romance that you know he likes, but then... you see it. _Wonderwall._

Despite the memery of it, you genuinely do enjoy Wonderwall, and you decide it's worth it after he starts laughing as soon as he hears the guitar. He reaches towards the volume knob on his stereo, and cranks it. The two of you scream-sing along with the song, laughing, and, honestly...

You feel light.

You're pretty sure that for the first time in a _long_ time, you're actually _happy._

There's something about scream-singing Wonderwall with your  _boyfriend_ that makes you insanely happy.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello its me  
> i took a small break from writing bc i just like  
> got hit with a bout of anxiety and depression  
> thankfully this time it wasnt a year and a half long :^) just a few weeks  
> ive been productive tho idk  
> like doing Adult Things like learning how to drive  
> so go me
> 
> ANYWAYS  
> the next 2 chapters are just gay bs i dont fuckin kno what im doing with this fic like i have plans for it i guess but im jus tryna get the timeline going bc idk dont @ me smh  
> if u want spoilers u can ask on discord (crayon#8675) or tumblr (creion)
> 
> ALSO @ the person who left the nice anonymous message on tumblr: i see you and i love you and im gonna reply i just havent. had words.

**Ling**

\---

Converse aren't made for hiking in, and you figure that out after Ed makes you hike from where you park your car at to a place to where the two of you can look at the river in some sort of contemplative silence, freezing your asses off. It's February in Georgia and the two of you are next to a river. Of course it's cold.

"I feel bad for making you drive out here, because this... is really underwhelming," He mutters eventually. "It was cool when I was four, but now it's just... whatever. God, I fucking hate Georgia."

"I mean, it looks absolutely breathtaking, but, if I'm honest... It is underwhelming. It's too cold to swim or I would've hopped in by now, honestly."

"We should come back in, like, July, y'know? It'll be hot as fuck, and humid as fuck, so it'll feel awesome to just swim and fuck around. All we can do now is look at it, and looking at a dumb river is, y'know, dumb, especially when it's February and swimming in it would literally kill us." Ed bends down to pick up a pebble, and he tosses it into the river, as if he were saying, _"Fuck you,"_ to the river.

\---

"Okay, _now_ I'm starting to regret only wearing a sweatshirt," Ed states this while you're looking under the hood of your car, wondering why the _fuck_ it started smoking about halfway from Roswell to Atlanta. You don't actually know what you're supposed to be looking at, but you're still squinting at the engine of your car, wondering why _now_ it's decided to have a fit.

You look up (or down, since he's more than a foot shorter than you) at him when you hear him shuffling around the side of the car to bend down and try to see what you're looking at, which is absolutely nothing. "I don't actually know what I'm looking at."

Ed huffs. "Me neither, honestly."

You make a face at your car, stick your middle finger up at the engine, then you close the hood, because, like, _ugh._ "Should we just wait for the repair place...?" You already called about ten minutes ago.

"That's all we _can_ do, honestly." He shrugs, and struggles a little bit as he tries climbing onto your car to sit on the hood. You'd never say it out loud, but sometimes you feel bad that he's so _short._ He makes up for it in personality, and he could and _would_ stab someone if he had to, but, man.

You sit next to him, and you have an easier time getting up there than he does. Ed does this thing when he's cold where he'll basically curl in on himself and just pick a spot to glare at, and he's glaring at the mile marker about twenty feet off, plus he's hunched over, so you silently sigh with a quick roll of your eyes as you take your jacket off to drape it over his shoulders.

He's predictable, and you're not surprised when he's trying to give you your jacket back. "Take the jacket, Ling. It's my fault for just wearing a sweatshirt."

"Ed, I'm sweating. You take the jacket. You need it more than I do. Also, I mean, we're _officially_ boyfriends now, so let me do boyfriend things."

He blows a strand of his hair out of his face, muttering, _"Fine,"_ before leaning towards you. You take the hint to wrap one of your arms around his shoulders.

\---

When the mechanic at car repair shop actually explains what's wrong with your car, you retain the information for about ten seconds before it's out of your head again. You know Edward retains the information for longer than a minute, because he asks the mechanic for specifics and asks the guy to explain to _him_ what's wrong.

The point is, your car isn't ruined, but you're out about fifteen hundred bucks and most of your evening is spent in the uncomfortable chairs at the car repair shop near Ed's apartment. (You would've, like, called the insurance company, but your dad would've seen it on the bill/statement/whatever it is that insurance companies use, and you do not have a death wish. You're also sort of not supposed to leave Atlanta unless you have his explicit permission anyways.)

\---

By eight, the two of you are at your house again, this time lying on the floor in your bedroom staring at the ceiling.

"For like, two seconds while we were driving _towards_ Roswell, I felt _really_ fucking happy. I mean, at this very moment, it's not like I suddenly have crippling depression again, but I had a good time today, y'know?"

"Despite my car having a fit?"

"Despite your car having a fit, yes. Even that was fun. Seriously, any time I have a chance to leave the apartment and get out of my own shit for more than an hour, I'm happy. I'm going to be unstoppable whenever I move out, probably."

You snort. "I wish I wasn't a year behind you academically. Everything in me wants to just, like, move out and just move somewhere no one can find me."

"I'm taking a year off from school, so after you graduate we could, y'know... Leave. The only thing really stopping me from leaving right now is the fact I still have three months of school left, plus you. And Alphonse. Alphonse is definitely a factor in why I haven't just fucked off yet."

"Is it because of your dad? Is that too much of an assumption?"

"No, god no. It's not too much of an assumption. I'm moving out as soon as I graduate, and I already have some money saved to do so. I just... I'm afraid of moving out too soon, though, because I don't want him to suffer, alone, with Dad. I mean, I'm also hardly home, but I try to take care of him as best as I can.

"It's just... have you ever had to make sure your own dad doesn't fucking drink himself to death? I mean, I know you haven't, since your dad is an upstanding citizen or whatever, but sometimes I'm afraid I'm going to be gone and that Al's just going to be the one to find him dead from choking on his own damn vomit or something like that."

"Neither of my parents are alcoholics, so I don't, like, quite get it. Your dad does give me weird vibes, though. He's too polite, and it's like, I know you're kind of a dick, bro. Also, no offense, but your apartment _reeks._ "

"It's beer. That's literally what the smell is. It's just _beer._ Stagnant, stale beer. He's spilled beer so much that it's, like, infused into the fucking carpets. One time I tried dumping all his beer, and he smacked me across the face for it. God, if he did that in front of Mom, she would've had his head on a fucking platter." You look over to him to find that he's glaring up at the ceiling. "Enough about my garbage father. We need to listen to gross, sappy love songs so I can just... Pretend like nothings wrong."

"What kind of sappy?" You ask with a grunt as you're reaching for your phone.

"I don't know, man. I could go for some Journey, but I could totally go for, like, I dunno. Some edgy hipster band."

You don't pick a specific band. You just go to the playlist you made on Spotify titled 'ed' and hit shuffle play on it. That playlist is absolutely jam packed with sappy love songs. Of course, the first song is something slow and romantic, and Ed winds up rolling towards you on the floor so he can bend down and initiate what ends up actually being a very nice and sweet little make out session.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im listening to fob's im like a lawyer with the way im always trying to get you off and im trying to write but all thats playing in my head is dallon weekes singing along, josh duns arm being like in the frame, and dallon noticing hes on the big screen and being like "oh god no" and stopping what he was doing and im angry about it because it was REALLY CUTE and im REALLY GAY also hi not only am i balls deep in fma im also a fucking emo
> 
> part of growing up is being shameless about ur interests ok
> 
> anyways i couldnt think of a note so have this  
> (i like writing notes im gay ok)
> 
> also uh
> 
> ed says 'fag' in this chapter  
> but to be fair  
> im gay  
> hes gay  
> its ok  
> but probably dont go around calling people fags  
> call urself a fag idc  
> probably dont call other people that tho

 

**Edward**

\---

Winry's your best friend for a reason, and you realize this reason while the two of you are marathoning the newest season of one of her weird dramas. You forget that you're able to tell her, like, literally anything about yourself, up until she asks you about what's been going on with Ling recently.

"A lot, but at the same time, nothing, y'know? Like, we're still really good friends, but now we make out and hug and cuddle sometimes and we're also down to get emotionally intimate with each other. Like, I can totally tell him about some of the bullshit Dad pulls, and then the next minute we're just, like, mackin' on each other and he doesn't make a big deal about it. I am in love, I swear."

"Isn't emotional intimacy something dudes struggle with?" She's such a lesbian. You adore her.

"God, yeah. Like, if you get emotional with someone, you're either labeled weak or a fag. I, for one, am very proud that I'm gay, and I even have a pin to prove it," you gesture towards the little pride flag pin you have, y'know, pinned to your sweatshirt, "but even us gay men still struggle with that. It's drilled into your head at a young age, and we all know I had a fucked up childhood, so, fuckin'... whatever. Do you know how much good having a boyfriend has already done for me?"

"Having a friend besides me and your brother in general has done good for you, Ed. You're not as angsty as you used to be." Winry passes you the popcorn bowl.

"It sounds so mushy to talk about, but, _god._ I always feel so light and happy whenever I'm around Ling. I've had some shit days, but then I'll, like, go to his house, we'll hang out and I'll help him with his German, and then suddenly it just seems like things aren't so bad after all. And--he's good at talking to me! I've called him on the phone a few times after spats with Dad or Al and he always says the right things and even when he doesn't he makes it obvious he has good intentions, so I can't be frustrated at him for more than a day or two."

"Is he always so nice? I mean, I've met him a few times, and he's always so nice. Is that an act or is he actually just nice?"

"He's nice. He's _really_ nice. Maybe even naive, if you want to reach that far." You stuff a handful of popcorn into your mouth. You try to keep your diet rather... _clean,_ and you _know_ you're going to bloat up like a dead cow tomorrow, but, man... Winry makes some great popcorn. You're still chewing when you continue speaking, and you don't even stop at the muttered comment Winry makes about chewing with your mouth full. "When I met him, I kept waiting for him to just turn out to be an asshole, and, sure, sometimes he's a bit of a _dick,_ but it's more like... He's not actually a dick, but he jokes around. I forgot how to properly explain it."

"I know what you mean. Paninya's like that. She's terrible, but she's great."

"Oh? Paninya?" You give Winry a suggestive look.

"Oh, you knock it off _right_ the fuck now." She gives you a dirty look, and you wiggle your eyebrows. You don't condone cheating, and to your knowledge, Winry should still be dating Sheska, but, like, you _know_ she's had a crush on Paninya for absolute _ages._ "I actually had the nerve to talk to her during my mechanics class yesterday, and she's just as cool as I thought she'd be. She's also just..."

"Insufferable! That's the fucking word!" It pops into your head, finally. It's been a millennia.

"Yes! That's it!"

The two of you fist bump, because _fuck yeah._

\---

Valentine's comes and goes rather uneventfully, as does the first half of March. The third week of March is spring break. Usually, you find an excuse to not be home during spring break, which really isn't different from the rest of the year. Technically, you're doing the same thing--finding an excuse to not be home--except instead of hanging around Winry's, Ling wakes you up nice and early on Saturday morning. (You also sort of did yourself a favor and took that week off of work, because, like, fuck it.)

You sleep with your phone next to your face, since you have an alarm set for ten on the weekends and won't wake up if it's _not_ next to your face. It's not even your phone that wakes you up, though. It's Alphonse throwing something at you from across the room, since he's a light sleeper.

You whine quietly as whatever it is Al threw at you makes contact with your body, and your eyes blink open when you feel vibrations from your phone through the mattress.

"Answer your phone, dickhead." Alphonse rolls over, or you think, given that his mattress creaks.

"Fuck off," you mutter right back to him as you prop yourself up on one of your elbows.

 

♥ _Boyfriend ♥ is calling._

_accept | decline_

 

Ling is the worst kind of person. He's calling you on _Skype._ Ugh.

Before answering it, you check the time, and, _honestly,_ who the hell is even _awake_ this early on a Saturday? What the fuck? You let out a long-suffering sigh and hit the little green button before sticking your phone against your ear. "Enlighten me as to why you think it's a good idea to call my phone this early."

_"Pack your things, because we're going on a road trip."_

"In _your_ car? I think the fuck not, Ling." You can feel it. You're not getting anymore sleep after this. You sit up, and yawn.

_"Oh, come on. It's fine. I didn't pay fifteen hundred dollars for my car to break again."_

"It's _six,_ Ling. I don't want to pack for a road trip."

 _"A backpack of clothes and whatever electronics you need. I already have pillows and blankets,_ plus _breakfast if you hurry."_ What an evil man. Tempting you with breakfast like this. He _knows_ you're an absolute _whore_ for food.

 _"Brother,_ can you go _outside?"_ You can see that Alphonse has sat up and is glaring at you from across the room. You flip him off.

"Where do you even wanna go? That influences my answer."

_"Miami."_

"Miami? What the fuck would we even do in Miami?" You ignore Alphonse as you get up and turn the lights on in the room. He sticks his middle finger up at you before pulling his blankets up above his head.

Ling responds as you're stuffing two of your usual outfits into an empty backpack. _"I dunno. We don't have to go to Miami. I just figure that since it's a ten hour drive we could find stuff to do on the way, and, I mean, I've been to Miami before. There's tons of things to do."_

"I'll be down in a sec. Let me put some shit into a bag and, like, get dressed."

\---

"Oh, my dear Edward, how I've missed you," Ling says in a dramatic tone as he grabs the arm of yours that isn't carrying a backpack of clothes, and drags you into a hug.

You scrunch your face up, set the bag on the ground, and hug him back a little too tight. "You saw me yesterday, weirdo."

"Twelve hours is twelve hours too long, Ed."

You try to pull away from him, to leave the hug, but he doesn't let you. "Ling, please." You fake-whine.

"Nope. I'm not letting you go." To emphasize his point, he squeezes harder.

You roll your eyes. You can't really _complain,_ because, to be fair, you like getting hugs, and he smells nice, but also... "You said we could get breakfast. I'm only here for the food."

 _"Fine."_ He releases you.

And then he kisses you.

He's so affectionate.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also i really like writing alphonse as chaotic neutral   
> like hes a good guy would never do anything to harm someone and will adopt every stray cat  
> but he also takes no shit and can and will cuss ed out if he has 2


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tone™

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **ABOUT MY TRANSLATIONS IN THIS:** i don't have the time/energy to teach myself another language and i try my best to avoid using google translate  & i try looking at translations from people who actually speak whichever language but sometimes i can't find a translation for something and resort to google translate and that happened in this chapter so if anyone wants to come along and correct it i'd be grateful :')

**Ling**

\---

You've been friends with Edward since August and you've been his boyfriend since Christmas. By now, you know his favorite spot to get breakfast at. Ed is a garbage pit and says, "Fuck yeah," in a tone that is _way_ too erotic as you're pulling into the parking lot of a McDonald's. Like, uncomfortably so. This is not the kind of tone one uses towards _McDonald's._

"I'm going to fucking regret this in a few hours, but, _god,_ I _love_ McDonald's," He mutters as he opens the door, gesturing for you to walk in first.

"I believe most people feel that way," you comment before walking up to the counter. The cashier smiles a typical _It's six in the morning on a Saturday and I work at McDonald's_ smile as she asks for your orders.

Ed orders three hash browns, a small coffee, a parfait, and a sausage biscuit. You're not really that hungry, and you're not aiming to have heartburn later, so you do yourself a favor and just order orange juice and a breakfast burrito.

You pay, and the two of you awkwardly stand around until a bag is being slid across the counter, along with your drinks. You carry the bulk of it all, and Ed's gracious enough to carry his own coffee as the two of you walk back to your car.

You've never seen anyone jam an entire hash brown into their mouth in one go, and you're not sure whether or not you want to applaud him, or gag. "How? How do you eat so much?"

"I actually _don't_ eat that much," he starts as he swallows part of what's in his mouth. You kind of don't like when he talks with his mouth full, but you've given up trying to get him to not. "Dad keeps the shit to make sandwiches for his work lunches and a six pack of Heineken around the apartment. Sometimes he switches it up and gets PBR if we're broke, though."

"PBR tastes like ass." You take a rather noisy sip of your orange juice.

"PBR tastes like the definition of a room of sweaty teenagers."

"Reminds me of after soccer practice."

Ed fake gags. "Oh, god. That room was fucking _rank_ after practice. Point is, I don't eat, and when I do, I inhale everything in sight."

"I envy you, because you never gain any weight." He really doesn't and it's... an oddity. "I eat any more than necessary and suddenly--" you lift your shirt up and pinch at a bit of your fat.

"Fuck off, man. You look fine. I, personally, find the, like, _nanogram_ of fat on your stomach to be cute. Also, I do gain weight, but it always goes my legs whenever I do."

"I get dad fat. I don't know if we went to the same middle school, but I had a fat phase in seventh grade. Total beer belly. Except, what I lack in an enlarged liver, I made up for with cellulite."

Ed snorts and cackles a bit. "Totally relatable. Also, I think we did. I dunno. Pretty sure I was in AVID with Lan Fan, and I just assume the two of you've always gone to school together."

"We went to the same one then. I really wanna, just, like, one up past me, and get fucking _jacked."_

"Listen, if you get jacked, I'll try growing six inches. _Speaking_ of growing! I had a check up last week and I'm _officially_ over five feet tall." He looks so proud of himself.

"How tall are you?"

"Five one and a _half._ I'll never catch up to my garbage brother, or _you,_ but hopefully I'll get to a point to where I can reach top shelves without having to climb on counters like some weird spider."

You hold up your orange juice, and he taps his coffee against it. "I'll cheers to that, bro."

"I'm your boyfriend. Do not call me bro."

"Ed, it's a meme. Also, you call me bro, like, at _least_ three times a day!" You scoff at him and roll your eyes.

\---

Ed falls asleep half an hour outside of Atlanta, and although typically you're against looking away from the road, you do sneak a few looks at him. He's so beautiful. He has his face pressed against the window, and even with half his face smushed against the glass like that, he's still model material.

\---

It's ten in the morning and the two of you are maybe a third of the way through the road trip. You apparently have a limit of three hours when it comes to driving continuously, which is why you're pulled to the side of the road, swapping seats with Edward so he can drive.

"I really hate how as soon as I'm not driving I suddenly _can't_ sleep," you grumble as you're moving the seat back. Ed has a habit of moving the passenger's seat in your car forward as far as it'll go since he's short. He's doing the same thing with the driver's seat right now. To be fair, though, you'd rather not have him crash your car from the seat being pushed back too far, so you'll allow it.

"It happens to the best of us," he states quietly. "Anyways, directions?"

"Keep going until you can merge onto I-95. I think that's somewhere near Jacksonville...? We're closeish."

"How close?"

"... I don't know, man. A hundred miles or so?"

"Alright. Do you happen to know which exit?"

You kind of hate when he uses this tone. He's drawing his sentences out and speaking very slowly and you know it's a thing he does when he's tired and in a bad mood, but-- "Stop talking down to me, you asshole. Exit 157A is the one we're supposed to take."

He's squinting at you. "I'm tired, Ling. I'm not trying to talk down to you."

"It sounds like you are. You sound like my mom when I told her I passed my stupid German final last semester." You curl your lip a little bit and you even go so far as to use a few hand gestures as you mimic her. _"_ _Nǐ quèdìng ma?"_ _ **(Are you sure?)**_ Such a short, simple phrase, yet it's really stuck with you for the past month or so.

"Alright, well, _wǒ bùshì xiǎng dǎjià._ _Tíng xiàlái._ " _**(I don't want to fight. Stop it.)**_

"Then stop using the tone!" You throw your hands up a little bit.

Ed takes a breath, and holds his hand in a way that he does when he's thinking of the right thing to say. He's basically making a lopsided yet relaxed 'o' with his hand, and holding it at his chest. "I will try not to use the tone. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night because I was at Winry's until midnight, and didn't get home until one, and then didn't get to sleep until two thirty-ish. _You_ woke me up at six. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings." He inhales ones, very deliberately, and exhales in the same manner. "Also, please do not call me an asshole the next time you're upset at me."

You make a face for a split second, adjust your position, putting your feed on the dashboard and sinking down into the seat, and you mutter a quiet, "Sorry for calling you an asshole," before sighing.

Ed rolls his eyes and calls you pouty, and once he's driving and doesn't need to be shifting gears, he holds his hand out to you.

The first thought to go through your head once you've found a comfortable position for your left arm to be in, and as he's weaving his fingers through yours is, _"God, I love this."_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have like a vague idea of the plot for this fic like its very very very very veryveryyyy slowly coming along  
> it has a plot already  
> like, with what ive written  
> but idk
> 
> what im thinking about doing is like  
> writing up to a certain point then ending this specific fic then posting a new one with the secondish part of this story i guess  
> because this part is a prequel to the stuff i REALLY wanna write i guess??
> 
> point is  
> i... im garbage.... i low key want my boy greed (1.0) (greedlings a good concept and all and hes my Preferred greed but i dont like writing him) to have a role in this fic.... but i cant do that until the timeline moves forward like a year and a fucking half lol
> 
> i need to talk about this to someone but i dont have any friends who are into fma :')  
> except paige and emily i guess but they dont read fic for it and jace like hes watched and read everything and knows the rough plot but hes not as INTO IT as i am and its AWKWARD  
> tho to be fair he tells me about his spideytorch fic and im into it so whatever man  
> jace is a blessing and i love him so much man IM SORRY THIS ISNT THE PLACE FOR ME TO WAX POETIC ABOUT JACE BUT HES IMPORTANT TO ME LMAO
> 
> anyways pleas  
> if someone... will let me talk to them about my fic... ID LOVE IT................... i have IDEAS that i need to STRAIGHTEN OUT.............................
> 
> also i feel like i plug my tumblr a lot but its @ creion


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how to get me to update faster: comment on this fic if its been more than a week or two because i honestly forget lmfao
> 
> also i... have forgotten to respond to the nice comments i got on the last chapter but i will Do It today :'D also if anyone from florida is reading this im sorry but like... ur state kinda sucks (to be fair i live in idaho and idaho is godawful) (also i dont mean this personally and its not meant as a personal attack and i actually have never been to florida please dont come for me)
> 
> another thing. i tried my best with translations? i didnt have to resort to google translate hrgmgn. i just find languages super interesting but i dont have the time, resources, or energy to learn another language??? and if i did itd be either spanish or japanese given where i live and also my... past interests......... (theres a lot of spanish speaking people in idaho and i tried teaching myself japanese when i was 12)

**Edward**

\---

To be frank, Florida sucks. You've heard that it sucks, because you know people who've lived there, but stories never compare to the real deal. It's hot, it's _humid,_ there's bugs fucking _everywhere,_ and alright, sure, the idea of exploring and getting all your teenage rebellion out of the way before college is absolutely charming, but Ling _so_ could've picked a better place than fucking _Miami._

Ling's following ass backwards directions from Google Maps, trying to find a relatively cheap hotel, since he isn't aiming to spend more than a few grand while the two of you are here. That's still a lot of money, especially to you, since you bring home, like, maybe five hundred dollars each paycheck, before taxes, but you figure a few grand is mere pocket change for someone of his social standing. It's worth it to mention that you're also tired and grumpy.

"I hate this stupid shitty application," Ling grumbles under his breath as soon as he catches sight of another _rerouting!_ "I really just want to stay at a cheap hotel, hopefully one with, like, liquor in the room. That would be so awesome."

"Bro, you're sixteen and I'm eighteen and we're, like, seven hundred miles from home. It'd look bad if we got caught drinking seven hundred miles from home."

"Who says we're getting caught? It's not like we're doing anything tonight anyways, aside from, like, getting dinner from the nearest fast food place and sleeping. Hopefully after I get some Fireball or vodka in my system."

"Fireball is _disgusting."_ You can't believe the gall of this guy! Fireball? Ew. So ew.

"You're wrong and I can live with that. Fireball is the entire reason I can't taste alcohol."

\---

Perhaps Florida isn't as sucky as you thought it was. It's not _great_ and you can still see your sweat through your clothes, which is honestly gross, but you can, at the very least, appreciate the aesthetic of the city. You're an edgy guy and you're willing to admit it, but you _don't_ mind all of the pastels you see in the area of Miami that Ling was driving to towards the shitty motel he decided he wanted to stay at.

It's not shitty enough to where the rates are hourly but they're under a hundred a night, so you assume it's not... the best. Dinner ends up being bought at the 7-Eleven across the street, and eaten in boxers on the floor of the hotel room while infomercials play for background noise.

\---

Ling is... such a dumbass sometimes. He's academically _brilliant,_ even if he could stand to assert himself a tiny bit more, and he's smart enough not to trust the dodgy looking white kid with probably moldy dreads who hangs out near the gas station closest to the school either of you go to, but he's the kind of guy who drags you to a fucking beach as soon as either of you are awake and showered, which is around noon the next day.

He tries, and fails, to talk you into wearing something other than flip flops, jeans, and a sweatshirt, which is already a bold choice since it's not exactly warm at the particular beach he chooses to take you to. He's in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops.

You've never been to a beach before, though, so you can't be too awfully bitter about it. You sit in the sand and watch the water for fifteen minutes while Ling dicks around building a sloppy sand castle. He's talking and you're half listening, but you zone back in when you hear something about Tobago. "The beaches there are so pretty. Have you ever been?"

"Ling, I'd never left Georgia until November of last year. Which is when we went to New York. What makes you think I've been to Tobago?" You're laughing a little bit, and you throw a small fistful of sand at him.

"I figured I should ask, alright? I'll add Trinidad and Tobago to the list of places that we need to travel to together."

"What places are on that list?" You're genuinely curious. It can't be too massive of a list, honestly.

"France, Italy, Germany, _maybe_ Lebanon if I can ever be bothered to do proper research, Hong Kong, Shanghai, South Korea, Japan, Perth, Melbourne, whatever major cities there are in New Zealand, then Hawaii, Mexico, Southern California, Portland, Seattle, then Vancouver. I'll have to find a way to work Trinidad and Tobago into those plans, but we're doing it, man."

"A world trip? You want to go on a world trip with me? That's so _gay!"_ You bust out your rarely used _cooing_ voice at that. "God, you're cute. Ugh." A sigh leaves your mouth as you lean over to wrap your arms around his upper body, and as you're pressing a quick little smooch to his cheek.

He gently nudges you off of him. "Shh. Quit that. _Anyways,_ we went to New York and we saw the Statue of Liberty. Isn't that near and ocean or something?"

"Fuck if I know. All information about geography that I learned left my head the second the semester changed. Also, when you go to New York, you don't go to look at the ocean. You go to, like, look at the city or whatever."

\---

After sitting on the beach for an hour or so, bullshitting and looking at the ocean, you and Ling walk hand in hand across the parking lot and about twenty feet down the street to a street cart selling ice cream that you saw while the two of you were walking from the bus stop earlier. You're boring--you get vanilla, and he's slightly less boring--he gets strawberry. The flavor of the ice cream has virtually no relevance, honestly.

The relevance of this situation comes about five minutes later when there's a small _someone_ barreling into you and almost knocking you over. Your thoughts go from the instinctual, _"Oh god I'm being mugged what do I do,"_ to, _"What the fuck--who's hugging me?"_ when small arms are wrapped around you. You look up at Ling and he shrugs like the jerk he is, and, _alright,_ fine, there's a child hugging you, but he could still step in and be like, "Can you not?"

You hand your little styrofoam bowl of ice cream to him, and when you turn around realization hits you. _Oh._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "the dodgy looking white kid with probably moldy dreads who hangs out near the gas station" this is most definitely envy.
> 
> ive been having a... time trying to write recently so this chapter and the next chapter are kinda garbage but i Want Them There For Reasons and ill get onto some actual plot soon
> 
> also this has nothing to do with the fic so u can quit reading if u want its just like stuff abaout my personal life but like idk  
> i applied for a job recently? idk if im gonna get it but i hope i do :'D i need to fund myself and also its like a big step for me since i have REALLY REALLY REALLY BAD anxiety (i mean everyone has anxiety but i like... im struggling ok) and its just. i mtrying to be an adult? its nice? the only con is writings gonna be put on the back burner & i cant write as much as i used to but like i already dont write as much as i used to so its fine lol  
> also ive like been having a few Problems with adhd lately and dissociating and just in general having a bad time but like idk i think i just need to get a job so i can get out of my own shit for at least 8 hrs a day lol. its only part time tho so idk i didnt want to commit to a full time job yet  
> if i dont get this job ill just,, apply somewhere else. this would be ideal tho.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALSO BTW  
> ive said this like 1203912 times but i try my best with fixing typos :'D i wrote most of this chapter tonight and its been... cold. like my hands arent moving the best bc theyre cold and im a weenie so there might be shit i missed but its fine u guys will LIVE

**Ling**

\---

You don't know whether to be more shocked by the fact that there's a small child hugging your boyfriend, or the fact that your boyfriend is hugging back. You're about five seconds from interrupting them to ask Ed what the hell he's doing when the situation starts to make sense.

Two men come speed walking over. One looks like a disheveled and taller version of your dad and for, like, half a second you ponder the concept. The other looks... like a dad. That's... the only way you know how to describe him. Wire frame glasses, a white button up in _Miami,_ cargo shorts, flip flops... He fits the criteria. He's quick to bend down and yank the girl hugging your boyfriend away, quietly saying, "Nina, you can't keep hugging every short blonde boy you see," in the most defeated tone you've ever heard come out of a man.

Man who reminds you of your dad starts apologizing in the way parents do when their kids are being shits, and he actually gets most of the way through the apology before Ed's hugging _him._

The little girl, Nina, points and says, _"See?_ It's _him!"_

Never in your life have you wished to just disappear into nothingness. You hate awkward situations with a passion and to be fair, this isn't awkward for them, probably, but you have no emotional connection to these three strangers, and you really feel like you're intruding as everyone gets through their hugs.

Edward is nice enough to not let you be an outsider for much longer, though. Once he's detached himself from the three of them, he gestures towards you with both hands in a Will Smith manner, and in his _I'm-nervous-and-talking-too-much_ voice, he introduces you. " _Um_ , this is Ling. My boyfriend. Ling, that lovely little lady," he gestures towards the girl, "is Nina. She is the closest thing I have to a little sister." He points to Dad Guy next. "That is Maes, but I honestly just call him Dad unless I'm talking to you or my biological shithead. And _that,"_ he doesn't point but rather lazily gestures towards Guy Who Reminds You Of Your Dad, "is Roy. He's... alright."

"Oh, _great,_ I'm going blind _and_ the closest thing I have to a son thinks I'm simply _alright."_

"Blind?" You look between the four of them. 'Going blind' sounds serious.

"He's been going blind for, like, a decade." Ed rolls his eyes. "Where's Elicia?" This is all apparently old news to Ed.

While Dad Guy is explaining that his other daughter is in Phoenix with her mother for spring break, you hand Ed his ice cream and you let your hand linger on his upper back once you notice that his hands are a little jittery. _"Anyways,_ that's unimportant. He's... your boyfriend?"

 _Oh no. Oh god no._ Dad G-- _Maes_ has a look on his face. It's the look your dad gave Alphonse when the two of them first met. It's one of those, _'So, you're the punk that's dating my kid, huh?'_ looks.

Ed nods slowly, and smiles a little awkwardly. "Yes. I... did indeed say that."

Roy cuts the conversation off with a muttered, _"Please don't do this,"_ to his... husband? You look at their hands and, yeah, they have bands around their ring fingers, so... husband is definitely a term you can use. "So! Ed! How are you grades?"

Ed... narrows his eyes at Roy. "Why?"

"I'm curious, and I do happen to have a personal interest in you," he answers smoothly.

"They're fine."

"Just fine?" You scoff, and you decide to butt into the conversation. "He undersells himself. He has _perfect_ grades, he takes the time out of his schedule to tutor _me_ in German, _and_ he's up for valedictorian of his year."

 _"Really?_ That's amazing!" Roy looks between the two of you, obviously impressed.

Ed's waving one of his hands in a dismissive manner. "It's... cool, I guess."

"That's seriously amazing, Ed." Maes is cutting in now, obviously over his need to give you the _talk._ You wish 'the talk' wasn't a thing parents did to their children's partners. You aren't even sure if it's a thing parents do, but you know that your father's done it to every single one of Mei's boyfriends so far. "I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that I'm really proud of you for that."

Nina nods, and you honestly don't know if she's, like, aware of what's happening right now, but she acts like she is, so who knows.

Ed shrugs and looks down at his ice cream, using his thumbnail to pick at the styrofoam container it's in. "Thanks. I appreciate that." He's also smiling a little bit, and you find yourself with your hand on his upper back again, rubbing gently.

The conversation moves on, and the five of you end up sitting at a picnic table that conveniently happened to be nearby.

You don't know what either of these men do for a living, but you wouldn't be surprised if Maes was a therapist or something. You've never been to a therapist, and the only ones you've seen have been on TV or in movies, but he kind of sounds how you'd think a therapist would sound, what with his word choice, tone, and general phrasing. "How are things... at home?" You can also most definitely tell that he doesn't know how he should speak around you.

Ed's smart and knows what he means immediately, if his answer says anything. "Same old bullshit as before, except I'm eighteen now so I can't do anything about him unless I want to adopt my brother, but he turns eighteen in a year anyways, and he's smart so he's probably going to go to college out of state, so that's... whatever."

No one really knows how to respond, and you totally get that. There's not a lot to say.

Ed continues anyways. "Um, _also,_ I feel like I won't get a chance to ask this, but, uh... Can I invite all of you to my graduation...? Is that inappropriate? Am I even allowed to do that? It's just--it's super important to me, surprisingly enough, and I--I consider you guys family." You've never seen Ed this nervous before.

The two men sitting across from you and your boyfriend look at each other for a few moments, and Maes speaks. "We would absolutely love to."

"But...?"

"No buts. We'd love to, as long as you'd want us there."

"Oh, thank _god."_ He looks so relieved.

\---

The bus back to the hotel is a little crowded. All of the seats are taken, and there's about ten or so people scattered around, standing up, including you and Edward. He's leaning on you, with his face smushed into your chest, and you're clutching a pole to balance yourself, using your other arm to kinda-sorta hug him. If it wouldn't break your neck, you would most likely kiss the top of his head.

Sometimes, typically after stressful situations, Ed needs a long hug, and you're fine with that. You don't mind hugging him, even if the lady a few seats away from where the two of you are standing keeps giving either of you a dirty look.

After one sniff that's a tiny bit louder than his typical 'sniffs' (he's always a little congested) you decide to ask, _"Bist du..."_ And you get about halfway through it before forgetting if there's a word for 'okay' in German. "...okay?" _**(Are you okay?)**_

 _"Später."_ You run through a few translations in your head before figuring he probably means that he'll talk later. _**(Later.)**_

 _"Ich liebe dich, Edward."_ _ **(I love you, Edward.)**_ You... really need to learn more German. You're _okay_ at it, but judging by the way Edward tries, and fails, to hold in a laugh, you figure you said the wrong thing.

"You're a little forward, man." He looks up at you with a stupid grin, and you stick your tongue out at him. He scrunches his face up for a moment before saying, _"Ich liebe dich auch."_ _ **(I love you too.)**_

\---

"You're not mad that I kinda just want to hang out in the hotel this afternoon, are you...?" Edward's standing in the bathroom, brushing his hair, since he took another shower to calm down. You're sitting on the floor in front of the door, watching him.

"Man, we have the rest of the week to go out and see Miami. Honestly, I'm more concerned about what we're gonna eat. Ice cream is not enough to, like, satiate my hunger for the day."

"I'm in the mood for, like... I dunno. You're gonna judge me." Ed works through a knot in his hair, and you figure he's not going to tell you without further prompting, so you just ask.

"What do you want? I probably won't judge you."

"I'm in the mood for Panda Express."

Ew. "No. I'm not stepping foot in another Panda Express."

"See?!"

"There's better restaurants for that shit, man. Panda is the _epitome_ of white people's Chinese food. God, I wish we were, like, in Reno or Vegas, or at home, so I could cook."

"... Why Reno or Vegas?" He looks at you curiously for a moment.

"Surprisingly, the Chinese food there is pretty alright. Personally, my favorite is the gross, greasy Chinese food you get in a casino. Like, when we're both eighteen, we need to go to either Reno or Vegas, find a casino, and absolutely gorge ourselves. I'm getting off topic. I refuse to eat food from Panda Express, but if I _must,_ I could, perhaps, get _you_ something."

Ed rolls his eyes. "I just want chow mein and fried rice. Those are the only things from there that I actually care to eat, mostly because you've ruined me with your amazing culinary skills."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, my dear boyfriend."

"Oh _really?_ One time I complimented your hair and you gave me twenty dollars. Shut up." He throws a bobby pin at you, and you laugh a bit.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i felt iffy w this chapter but like....... listen  
> my method to writing is  
> shit happens and if i want to write something imma do it because tbh i write for myself and i write what i wanna write bc its 2018 u know  
> anyways i just like the headcanon that roy goes blind mostly bc of canon  
> like idk maybe he has cataracts or something either way that boy Cant See Shit   
> kinda like me except i just have astigmatism and a lazy eye.   
> also you cannot look me in the eye and say that edward elric doesnt have anxiety problems . you cannot . take this from me . im a huge weenie 
> 
> after this chapter im gonna like summarize the rest of the miami trip and then skip a month or something then maybe another month and MAYBE ill give yall a longish chapter?? idk? 
> 
> also ok im like   
> IM SORRY I TALK SO MUCH IN NOTES LOL anywaysssss  
> this next bit like idk u can stop reading but edling is mentioned for a sec  
> i have a few joshler (you can argue with me about rpf but i have my opinions and they wont change so whatever) fics in the making and like joshler is initially what i was writing on ao3 anyways and im like. theyre... ok. but idk. i have a TON of just unfinished joshler wips in my writing folder and ive been thinking about repurposing one or two of them and rewriting it for edling?? like theyre 10k words and up and already have a plot going so i? could do it?
> 
> and like idk the only reason i dont finish most of my wips is because they end up out of character and weird and im really picky with characterization surprisingly enough lol
> 
> anyways im gonna like finish this rant on tumblr i guess follow me and yell at me @ creion


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posting an extra long chapter 2nite to spite the sarah that commented on the last chapter bc fuck your bad vibes bro (i was aiming for 4k words but i had to split it up since continuing in eds pov would be weird for now)
> 
> if you want to comment on my fic to tell me not to write in second person:
> 
> 1) it's 2018. i do what i want. i write for myself. not for you. not for anyone else.  
> 2) grow up lmao stop reading fics if you don't like the way they're written like seriously don't waste your time you'll thank yourself later
> 
> also as usual i tried my best to look for typos but i still miss them so if u notice any please for the love of god point them out so i dont embarrass myself further
> 
> \+ i tried my best with translations but i don't speak mandarin and i have too much blind trust in dodgy websites meant to teach you chinese so if u speak mandarin and i accidentally wrote something offensive or something inaccurate feel free to correct me im just a weenie and bad at asking people to translate stuff

**Edward**

\---

"You're not going to _prom?"_ Alphonse looks at you as if you're insane. You're sitting on your bed, half listening to a podcast while you trim your toenails, and Al's getting dressed since he has a date with Mei tonight.

"I went last year with Winry, and it was overrated as shit." It's the truth. "I get the novelty of it and all, but I just really don't want to go. Added, Ling isn't out, and I don't think I'd be able to talk him into going with me."

"Prom is, like, a _thing!"_

"Will you put on a fucking shirt before you start trying to give me relationship advice? I can't focus with your weird uneven nipples looking me right in the eye." You get a middle finger and a penny thrown at you for that. You pocket the penny. If he wants to waste a single cent on you, then you'll let him. Fuck Alphonse. That's _your_ penny now.

"Shut up, garbage brother. Prom is so fun. You should at least go 'as friends' if you can't be out that night."

"Alphonse, I'm not going to prom just so I can stand around for two hours drinking punch and stuffing my fat face full of whatever snacks they have set out while making small talk with my boyfriend and acting like I don't want to kiss him and slow dance with him. I can just as easily drive to his house, put on some music, then slow dance. Added, if I just go to his house, I won't have Hawkeye or Falman breathing down my neck about keeping an arm's length between me and whoever I'm dancing with. Prom's stupid."

You can see it in his face. He really wants to argue with you, but you've pretty much shut him down. All he has left to respond with is, "God, you suck. Do you even have any actual plans?"

"I do, actually, thanks for asking." You finish clipping the last toenail from your left foot, and depositing the clipping into the waste bin next to your bed before finishing your response. "Me and my boyfriend are going to get dressed up and then we're going to go to a nice restaurant, eat, and we're probably gonna go back to his place and watch a movie and make out or something."

"That's so _boring._ All you ever do with him is go out to dinner, go back to his house, watch something, then make out, excluding the occasional times the two of you leave town."

"And?" There's nothing wrong with watching movies and making out with your boyfriend.

_"And?_ Shake it up! Go to prom!"

"Look, Ling's still a junior. I still have another year if I suddenly decide I want to go to prom with him. Also, honestly, it's not that I don't want to, it's just that, y'know, _we aren't out._ I'm up for Valedictorian and I'm not going to out myself and risk ruining that. Also, you've met Ling's parents. They're fucking terrifying, and he's absolutely _not_ ready to be out. End of story. Stop bugging me about it, or I'm locking the bedroom door when you leave and not letting you back in."

"You'll do it, too," he mutters as he's holding his arms towards you, meaning for you to button his cuffs for him.

\---

You're sitting in a booth at an Olive Garden on prom night when you get a text from Winry. You don't usually check your phone too much whenever you're on a _date,_ but your phone screen turns on and the message preview is a little worrying, so you find yourself asking, "Do you mind if I check my phone?"

Ling only raises his eyebrows for a few seconds before shrugging a little bit. "You're the one who has an issue with not using your phone during dates. I don't mind if you check your phone, though."

"Okay, look, to be fair, it's kind of a dick move to be checking my phone and not, like, communicating with you when we're specifically supposed to be spending time together like this. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with you, and that time doesn't allow for me to check my phone."

"Just look at your phone, Ed." Ling rolls his eyes, and you stick your tongue out at him.

\---

**Winry:** haha soo i just got dumpedd!! :D happy prom!!!! hahahahhaa

**Ed:** Yo, what the fuck happened? :(

**Winry:** ohh nothing majorr haha!!!

**Ed:** Liar. What happened?

**Winry:** pick me up and ill tell u big boy xx ;)

**Ed:** I'm on a date with my boyfriend. Can we pick you up after? :(

**Winry:** yeah lol

\---

"How adamant are you on watching Guardians for the millionth time?"

"Not very, why?"

"I think... Sheska broke up with Winry...? Her typing is all weird and she kind of wants me to pick her up. Um. I kind of obligated us to pick her up after... this." You gesture between either of your meals. "I'm sorry, man."

"That's totally fine, Ed. When Mei's garbage ex-boyfriend cheated on her, we literally committed crimes just to get back at him. I think she needs friends and support more than we need to watch Guardians of the Galaxy again anyways."

\---

You fucking love Winry. You don't even have to text her to tell her that the two of you are there. She just walks out, a bottle of vodka in one hand, and an overnight bag in the other. You start laughing as soon as you see the vodka because, _God,_ that's relatable. It's unhealthy as fuck, but if Ling ever broke up with you, you could totally picture yourself downing half a bottle of vodka and making yourself miserable for at least a few weeks.

"She better share," is Ling's only comment once he notices the vodka. His parents, unsurprisingly, aren't home, and Mei's off somewhere with Alphonse, so, _yeah,_ she better share.

Winry gets into the back seat, behind Ling, and you ask, "Should we stop and get some juice, or are you gonna just drink that straight up?"

"I just want to know where you even _got_ that," Ling states as he's shifting gears and pulling out of Winry's driveway and into the street.

"The white guy with dreads that hangs out at the 7-Eleven near your school. I've had this for months, but... Tonight seems fitting, y'know?" Winry sniffs, and wipes the sleeve of her shirt under her nose, and sighs, before sliding the vodka under Ling's seat. "Also, cranberry juice is my, ah, preferred method of consuming vodka."

\---

"Given your father's... habits, I find it funny that you're about to down a shot of vodka," Ling mumbles just as the edge of a shot glass is touching your lips, and as he's pouring cranberry juice into a glass for himself. Winry's sitting across from you on the floor, chugging her own glass.

You squint and you don't bother turning your head to look at him before, y'know, _downing a shot of vodka._ You take about twenty seconds to recover from the post-shot cringe, and that's when you answer him. "Look, I'm eighteen. I have straight A's, I'm up for valedictorian, and I have a job. Also, I don't work tomorrow anyways. I figure I should get my teenage rebellion out now while I'm, like, in a safe environment."

"Have you ever even had alcohol, Ling?"

Ling screws the cap back onto the bottle of cranberry juice, and scoots over towards his dresser (the three of you are on the floor at the end of his bed) and opens the bottom drawer, revealing what can only be described as the holy grail of underage drinking. It's not like he has an entire liquor cabinet or anything, but there's a fairly large bottle of Fireball, almost empty of course, like, five tiny bottles of schnapps, probably lifted from a casino, or his parents, and three bottles of wine; two white, one red. "And you're subtly trying to accuse _me_ of being an alcoholic?" You scoff at him. "How long have you been holding out on me, man?"

"Blame my little sister. The wine is hers. Also, for awhile, Ed."

"Is this what being a rich kid is like? Stashes of alcoholic beverages?" Winry's pouring her second glass, this time upping the amount of vodka in it.

"Pretty much, yeah." He shrugs and closes the drawer. "Alcohol, personally, isn't _quite_ my thing, and my parents are wicked good at telling if someone's drunk or high, but... Sometimes you just gotta take five shots of Fireball, then lay in bed listening to Nirvana and wondering where you went wrong in life."

"Why'd Shes break up with you?" You figure you may as well just ask now so that it doesn't eat at you. You're nosy when it comes to your friends.

She sniffs, takes a sip of her second drink, and starts explaining. "She's going to some ivy league in, like, Massachusetts or some bullshit, and was like, 'Hey, Win, I don't think it's going to work out if we're living so far away from each other,' because I'm going to college on the other side of the country, and that's--that's _fair,_ but it's such a shit reason."

"That... really is a shit reason. Fuck her." Ling frowns, and takes a hefty swig of his own drink before coughing, and commenting that he put too much vodka in it.

"I know! I've been dating her for, like, three years, and she ends it over _that?_ It's not like we're living in the early twentieth century or anything. There's Facebook, and Skype, and--and _Twitter--_ like, it's not that hard to keep in touch."

"I mean, I'd imagine it's different when you live two thousand miles away from someone, though." You reach over to squeeze her hand, and she wraps her fingers around yours. "I still think that's a shit reason to break up with someone."

"I'll just find a new and better girlfriend," She says to herself. She has to wipe at her cheeks and, man, you feel bad.

"If it makes you feel better, if we were both straight, I'd totally bone it out with you forever."

Ling lets out a long, drawn out snort, before falling into a fit of giggles, and Winry just laughs a little bit, as do you. "I know you would, man. I appreciate it."

\---

You and Winry pass out on the floor, and Ling's nice enough to drape a blanket over the two of you, and to shove a pillow under either of your heads. You wake up around ten to the smell of _something,_ probably food, and a foot prodding you in the side.

You groan, and you can already feel the hangover, but as soon as you open your eyes, you get hit with the strongest bout of vertigo. Lan Fan is standing over you, giving you a bored look, and her foot is still up, ready to prod you in the side again if you don't get up. "Zǎo fàn zuò hǎo le." She's so stoic and she even frowns a little bit since you take about a minute and a half to translate that in your head. _**(Breakfast is ready.)**_

"Wǒ zhī dào le." You give her a thumbs up, and you yawn. _**(Got it.)**_

"You have a weird accent." She gives you a face, obviously not impressed. "Wake your friend up too. Ling's making hangover food."

She steps over you and Winry, and she's quiet about leaving the room. You force yourself to sit up pretty quickly after that, and, _gag._ You really need to stop taking the saying 'go big or go home' to heart. You wait to wake Winry up until after you've thrown up. You've had enough experiences with being underage and drinking more than you should to know that it's better just to throw up and get it over with rather than holding it.

\---

You really need to stop being surprised about Alphonse being at Ling's house whenever you get up in the mornings. He's sitting at one end of the dining table, across from Mei, eating breakfast, and he gives you a bored look when you ask him why the hell he's there.

_"I'm eating breakfast with my girlfriend, since your boyfriend was nice enough to make something."_ Oh, he's busting out the Arabic. _Someone's_ grumpy. (He usually speaks English with you unless he's angry, or he wants to say something without Dad understanding him.) _"Why's Winry here?"_

_"Sheska broke up with her for a shit reason so we got drunk last night."_ You smack your lips a bit, and you sit at the other end of the table. Winry sits between you and Alphonse, and Lan Fan sits between Mei and Ling.

You thank Ling for the breakfast, and you're about halfway through your plate when Winry shows you her phone under the table.

 

_Does Ling's cousin happen to be of sapphic nature?_

You press the backspace button on her phone and type out a response. _Idk maybe? Ask Ling. I'm sure he'd know. Or ask her yourself. Coward._

_H8 you._

\---

Ling drops you off at your apartment a few hours after breakfast, and about the time he'd be half way from your apartment to Winry's house, Winry texts you.

 

**Winry:** HE SAID SHE'S BI AND THAT'S MORE THAN ENOUGH 4 ME!!! AH!!!

**Ed:** Take a shot every time someone in our friend group dates a Yao lol

**Winry:** I'm not dating her (yet) but Ling gave me her phone number and also the information that we're going to college in the same city so we'll see >:)

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Ling**

\---

You're putting your backpack into the trunk of your car, and you're reaching up to close it when a short blonde _someone_ is barreling into you. You heard his foot steps, but you figured it was some other kid running past you to their own car.

It's not, though. It's Ed, and he's giving you the tightest hug that his small arms can manage. (It's a pretty fucking tight hug, honestly.) Once he's done hugging you, he's giving you the brightest goddamn grin you've ever seen from this boy, saying, "I'm valedictorian!" He graduates in about three weeks, and, _wow,_ you're proud of him.

You close the trunk of your car, and then you pull him back into a hug. "If we weren't in our school's parking lot, I'd _so_ kiss your cute face right now."

He laughs a golden laugh full of molten sunshine, and just hugs you back.

\---

The last few weeks of school are always weird. Ed graduates the second to last week of school, and you find yourself with your ass parked in a seat in the auditorium around seven in the evening, since that, for some reason, is the time your school picks for the seniors to walk across stage and to accept their diplomas. Every single one of Ed's guests takes up, like, half a row, you swear. (Starting at the left end of the row is Alphonse, Mei, Lan Fan, You, Winry, who holds one of Ed's almost adopted sisters in her lap, Nina, Roy, and Maes. You, personally, are a little offended that Ed's birth father didn't bother showing up, but Alphonse just gave you a nice and quick explanation, saying that the man always started drinking by five in the evening, and that even his brother's graduation wasn't enough of an exception for him to, y'know, _not_ fucking drink for one evening.)

Ed gives... a beautiful speech. He's eloquent about it, and you find yourself sniffling _just a bit,_ and wiping at one of your eyes by the time he's done with his speech. You're an 'obnoxious shit' according to him, and you most definitely prove yourself, since you're among the many giving him a standing ovation, yet the only sticking your index finger and thumb into your mouth to whistle. (It was a kick ass speech, and you're proud of your boyfriend, alright?)

\---

After dinner at a slightly upscale restaurant, courtesy of the Hughes-Mustang family, and a joint graduation party at Winry's house (she graduates tomorrow), you're _finally_ home.

And by home, you mean you're sitting in Ed's bedroom looking at Twitter on your phone, and half listening to him quietly bickering with his father in German. To your understanding, the man is plastered, Ed's trying to communicate _something_ to him, but he isn't understanding, and you can hear the patience in Ed's voice growing thinner and thinner by the second.

You've never spent the night at Ed's apartment before, or really even been inside his bedroom, and although you can see why he's hesitant to let you into his home, you kind of like it. Just kind of. Only as long as you're in his room. Which he shares. With his brother. Alphonse is, probably, at your house, with your sister, and they're _totally_ reading scripture. (You'd like to think that, anyways.)

Ed walks back into the bedroom with a bottle of water for himself, saying something about having ordered pizza since there's, apparently, no food in his fridge.

"Are you alright? It sounded pretty heated out there."

"Keep your voice down. Walls are thin. Everything's _fine,_ though. Totally fine." He makes a face, one that means that everything is _not_ fine, as he sits at the head of his bed, shoving his pillows out of the way so he can extend his legs.

"That's false." His bed is a little small, so you have trouble comfortably sprawling out on it, but you manage. You're on your back, with your head on his thigh, looking up at him.

"He asked me how graduation went, and instead of giving him a polite answer to avoid conflict, I slipped and said, 'You should've been there.' He then got onto me for having an attitude, and I just, like, kind of chewed him out. It's cool, though. I have a friend over so it's not like he's going to flip his shit over it, at least not in front of you."

"Are you out, or do I need to keep PDA to a minimum?" As if to punctuate your point, you reach up to _gently_ tuck a lock of Ed's hair behind his ear.

"To _him?"_ He points at his bedroom door. "Fuck no. He voted for Romney in the last election, and he's always talking about _fags_ and how we're _ruining_ America. If I come out, I'm waiting until Alphonse is graduated and off to college, and until I'm, like, on the other side of the fucking country, hopefully with you. Point is, you probably shouldn't do more than give me a handshake or a high five in front of him."

You make a face. "That's dumb, man."

"It is." He has a hand on your cheek now, rubbing his thumb across your cheekbone. Ed's affectionate, but he's not _that_ affectionate, so you find yourself smiling from the little cheek touch. It's like he knows how to get you emotional, because the next thing he says to you is, "I meant it when I said I loved you, even if it was in a different language, by the way."

You grin, just a tiny bit, and you can feel your cheeks heating up. "I meant it when I said it, too, even if it was a slip up." Ed's more flexible than you thought he was, because he bends down, no problem, to kiss you on the lips.

\---

You wake up to two of Ed's knuckles jabbing you in the side. He has small, bony hands, so him jabbing you in the side with his knuckles doesn't particularly feel _great._ Your primal 'I just woke up' instinct tells you to whine a little bit, and to pull his blankets tighter around your body.

"I'm not playing this game," is what he mutters as he grabs hold of the edge of his blanket, and rips it off of you. "My dad just woke up, and he's hungover and crabby. Get your shit gathered up because I want to be gone before he's out of the shower."

You open your eyes, and frown up at him. If you were more awake, you probably would've blushed, but he makes a noise--something between 'aww' and choking--and then his hands are on your face, and he's pressing a quick kiss to your forehead. _"Mein klein hase._ I'm sorry. I just really don't want to be home because Dad's insufferable when he's hungover." _**(My little bunny.)**_

"Did you just... call me a rabbit?"

_"Shit._ I forgot you can speak German. Um. Technically I called you a 'hare' but if I said it in English I'd say bunny. Anyways, just... Get dressed. I can drive wherever if you're too tired."

\---

You don't even get dressed. You just take one of Ed's sweatshirts from his closet, put it on, and you cram your phone charger and your pants from yesterday back into your backpack before following him out of his apartment and down a few flights of stairs to the parking lot.

You're still trying to wake up by the time Ed's about halfway from his apartment to a coffee shop with a drive-thru. "What are you gonna do now that you've graduated?"

"Same plan as before. Keep working and saving money. Next year I'm going to see what colleges I can get into, then I'm getting the fuck out of Atlanta. You doing anything this summer?"

"My parents want to visit my grandparents." You yawn after saying that, and you rub a dick onto the window of your car in the condensation of your yawn.

Ed snorts at the tiny condensation dick because he's a twelve year old stuck in an eighteen year old body. "Which ones?"

"Both pairs. Or technically pair and widower. Mom's dad died a few years ago. It was a whole ordeal."

"Your grandparent dies, and you describe it as a 'whole ordeal?'"

"Well, yeah, because it was in the middle of the school year, so we had to just abruptly travel to bumfuck China, and we only stayed for a few days before coming back, because me and Mei still had school, and my parents are uppity about us missing school, even if our grandpa died. I'm serious. We got back to Atlanta at like four in the morning, and even though both of us were jet lagged as _fuck,_ Ma said, and I quote, 'Well, you're not sick, so go get dressed and make sure to catch your bus.'"

"That sounds awful. Don't days missed because of a family death count as exempt anyways?"

"Of course they do. Anyways, I'm half tempted to go stay with Lan Fan and her grandpa over the summer. I don't want to travel, and they love having me, so it works out. Or I could just conveniently get lost at whatever airports we go to, then get a cab back home."

"If you manage to get your house to yourself for the summer, I'm definitely living with you until your parents get back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H-HEWWO? MR OBAMA?  
> its been three months since i updated this im. so sorry.  
> fma fandom got tiring for me & im slowly slipping back into bandom since twenty one pilots are being sus so ighrfj idk  
> i had a chapter's worth of content in the doc for this fic so here u go


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